開始

• Reading: かいし
• Romaji: kaishi
• Kanji breakdown: 開 (kai) — open; 始 (shi) — begin, start
• Pronunciation: /ka.i.ɕi/

Meaning

Start; commencement; beginning. The formal initiation of an activity, event, or process.

A noun that also functions as a suru verb (開始する). More formal than 始める (hajimeru, to start). Used for official beginnings: 授業の開始 (start of class), 営業開始 (opening for business), 販売開始 (launch of sales). Often seen on signs, announcements, and in written communication. Can be used intransitively: 試合が開始された.

Examples

1. 試合は午後三時に開始されます。 The game will begin at three o'clock in the afternoon.
2. 新しいプロジェクトを来月から開始する。 We're launching the new project starting next month.
3. 工事の開始が予定より遅れている。 The start of construction has been delayed from the original schedule.

Usage Guide

Context: announcements, business, events

Tone: official

Origin & History

Compound of 開 (kai, to open) and 始 (shi, to begin). 'Opening the beginning' — a formal, ceremonial sense of starting something, like opening a gate to commence a journey.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal