hajimete

Hajimete, written in Japanese as 初めて (はじめて), is a word meaning "for the first time" or "the first time." It functions mainly as an adverbial noun indicating that an action is being experienced for the first time. It is used with verbs, as in 初めて日本へ行きました, meaning "I went to Japan for the first time." It can also modify a noun with the pattern 初めての…, meaning "the first …," such as 初めてのデート (the first date) or 初めての挑戦 (a first challenge).

Etymology and forms: The term combines 初 meaning "beginning" or "first" with the て-form ending, and is commonly written in kanji as 初めて, though it can appear in kana as はじめて. The standard reading is はじめて (hajimete). It is typically used with a verb to describe a new or novel experience and can appear in various tenses based on the surrounding verb.

Usage notes: 初めて is widely used in everyday speech as well as in language-learning contexts to convey novelty or a new experience. It can appear at the start of a sentence or within it, and it is compatible with different verb forms and descriptive phrases that describe personal experiences. While it often denotes personal experience, it can also refer to general first-time experiences in a broader sense when paired with appropriate context.