始める

Begin to

Level 2Sounds Like hajimeru

The auxiliary verb 始める（はじめる） is used to express 'to begin' or 'to start' doing something. It is the most neutral and common way to describe the onset of an action or a natural phenomenon.

How It Works

始める is a versatile suffix that marks the transition from a state of not doing something to the start of the process. Unlike some other 'starting' patterns, it is neutral and can be used for both planned intentions and natural occurrences.

1. Formation:

  • Group 1 (U-verbs): Change the final 'u' sound to 'i' and add 始める. (e.g., 読む → 読み始める)
  • Group 2 (Ru-verbs): Remove the final る and add 始める. (e.g., 食べる → 食べ始める)
  • Irregular verbs: する becomes し始める; 来る（くる） becomes 来（き）始める.

2. Usage Nuances:
始める focuses on the onset of a continuous process. It is appropriate for:

  • Planned actions: 'I will start studying at 9:00.'
  • Natural processes: 'The flowers started to bloom.'
  • Gradual changes: 'It started to get cold.'

3. Writing Style:
While the kanji 始める is common, it is often written in hiragana (はじめる) when used as a grammatical suffix to distinguish it from the standalone verb 'to start' (something).

Examples (4)

  1. 雨が降り始めました。

    It started to rain.

    Word by Word: Rain (subject) fall-start (polite past).

    This is a neutral observation of a natural event starting.

  2. 来月から日本語を習い始めます。

    I will start learning Japanese from next month.

    Word by Word: Next month from Japanese (object) learn-start (polite).

    Here, the pattern is used for a planned, intentional action.

  3. 彼は三十分前に本を読み始めた。

    He started reading the book thirty minutes ago.

    Word by Word: He (topic) 30 minutes before book (object) read-start (plain past).

    The stem of 読む（よむ） is 読み（よみ）. Adding 始めた indicates the start of the reading process.

  4. 赤ちゃんが歩き始めました。

    The baby has started to walk.

    Word by Word: Baby (subject) walk-start (polite past).

    This describes the beginning of a new developmental stage or process.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the intransitive form 'hajimaru' as a suffix.

    雨が降り始まりました。
    雨が降り始めました。

    Even if the main verb is intransitive (like 降る), the suffix must always be the transitive form 始める when creating a compound verb.

  • Attaching to the dictionary form instead of the stem.

    食べる始めます。
    食べ始めます。

    You must remove the ~ru or change the final vowel to ~i to create the stem before adding 始める.

How It Connects

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始めるLevel 2Begin to

Learn This First

To use '始める' (begin to), you must first know how to conjugate verbs into their 'ます form' stem. This pattern functions by replacing the 'ます' ending with '始める' to indicate the start of an action.

Learn Next

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Words in This Pattern

始める