N2 · Expressions (N2)
をはじめ: with this one first
starting with, notably, above all
Name the best-known member of a group, then the group itself.
をはじめ names the most prominent member of a group and then widens to the rest: 東京をはじめ、全国の都市で, "in cities across the country, Tokyo first among them". It follows a noun, and what comes after it is always larger — another noun with など, a word such as 多く or 全員, or a も that pulls the rest in.
The fuller form is をはじめとして, and before a noun it is をはじめとする: 寿司をはじめとする日本料理, "Japanese food, sushi above all". All three are formal; conversation tends to list examples with とか, or to name one and add the rest with も. The phrase comes from 始める, and you will sometimes see it written を始め, but kana is the usual spelling in this sense.
English speakers reach for it when they mean "starting from" a time or a place in a sequence — "starting on Monday", "starting at the station". It does not mean that. をはじめ picks out the best-known example from a set that exists all at once; a starting point in time or space is から.
It is also how speeches and formal letters thank a group: the most senior person by name, then everybody else. 社長をはじめ、社員の皆様 — the president first, and with the president all of the staff.
The form
| Tokyo and many other cities | 東京をはじめ、多くの都市 |
| the fuller form | 東京をはじめとして |
| before a noun | 東京をはじめとする大都市 |
| with など | 寿司をはじめ、天ぷらやそばなど |
| the president and all the staff | 社長をはじめ、社員全員 |
The rules one by one
をはじめ follows a noun: the best-known member of the group.
京都をはじめ、日本には古い町が多い。Japan has many old towns, Kyoto the best known of them.
What follows must be wider than the first noun: など, 多く, 全員, or a も.
父をはじめ、家族はみんな野球が好きだ。My whole family loves baseball, my father most of all.
Before a noun, use をはじめとする.
自動車をはじめとする工業製品を輸出している。They export industrial goods, cars above all.
It does not mark a starting point in time or space; that is から.
四月から授業が始まる。Classes start in April.
A closer look
をはじめ, など and といった
All three introduce examples, and they rank them differently. AやBなど lists examples as equals. AやBといった lists them as typical cases of a kind. をはじめ ranks one of them above the rest — the biggest city, the most senior person, the most famous product — and so carries a small judgement that the other two do not.
That ranking is why the group must follow. A sentence that stops after をはじめ has promised a crowd and delivered one person, and a Japanese reader feels the missing half at once. If there is nothing to widen to, the sentence wants は or が, not をはじめ.
How to spot it
- をはじめ
- をはじめとして
- をはじめとする
- を始め
Example sentences
桜をはじめ、春には多くの花が咲く。In spring many flowers bloom, the cherry first among them.
校長先生をはじめ、先生方には大変お世話になりました。We owe a great deal to the headteacher and to all the teachers.
この町には美術館をはじめ、博物館や図書館など、文化施設が多い。This town has many cultural venues — above all an art gallery, but also museums, libraries and more.
日本をはじめとするアジアの国々で高齢化が進んでいる。Populations are ageing across Asia, with Japan in the lead.
英語をはじめ、五つの言語で案内が書かれている。The signs are written in five languages, English first among them.
田中さんをはじめ、皆さんのおかげで成功しました。It was a success thanks to all of you, Ms Tanaka above all.
7 more example sentences
北海道をはじめ、各地で雪が降った。Snow fell in many regions, Hokkaido above all.
部長をはじめ、全員が会議に出席した。The head of department and everyone else attended the meeting.
サッカーをはじめとして、いろいろなスポーツを楽しんでいる。I enjoy all sorts of sport, football first of all.
この地域はりんごをはじめ、果物の産地として知られている。This region is known for its fruit, its apples above all.
祖父をはじめとする親戚が集まった。My relatives gathered, with my grandfather at their head.
新聞をはじめ、テレビやネットでも大きく報道された。It was widely reported — in the newspapers first, and on television and online as well.
首相をはじめ、各国の代表が会議に出席した。The prime minister and the representatives of many countries attended the conference.
Worth knowing (1)
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The order of thanks
In a formal speech the person thanked first is the most senior one present, and をはじめ is the phrase that does it. Naming one person and then 皆様 thanks everyone without leaving anybody out, and it is one of the most common uses of the phrase in working life.
会長をはじめ、関係者の皆様に心よりお礼申し上げます。I would like to thank the chairman and everyone involved from the bottom of my heart.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The intended sentence is "there are classes every day, starting on Monday" — a starting point in time. をはじめ cannot express that; it singles out the most notable member of a group, not the first day of a series. A beginning in time or space is から.
をはじめ picks the best-known member of a group and then names the group — it never means from.
Your turn
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