〜をはじめ: 'Starting With' / 'Including' (N3 Grammar)
The headliner that stands in for the whole group
〜をはじめ picks out the prime, leading example of a bigger group and signals that the rest belong to the same set. Think "X and the like," "led by X," or "including X (as the top case)."
The point is representativeness, not order: X is the headline member you name first because it's the most obvious one, and the group extends well beyond it.
日本をはじめ、アジアの多くの国でアニメは人気がある。
にほんを はじめ、アジアの おおくの くにで アニメは にんきが ある。
Anime is popular in many Asian countries, starting with Japan.
Japan = the leading example; other countries follow.
社長をはじめ、社員全員が会議に出席した。
しゃちょうを はじめ、しゃいん ぜんいんが かいぎに しゅっせきした。
Everyone attended the meeting, the president included.
をはじめ = led by / including the top person.
この図書館には漢字の本をはじめ、いろいろな教材がある。
この としょかんには かんじの ほんを はじめ、いろいろな きょうざいが ある。
This library has all sorts of study materials, starting with kanji books.
Three shapes: をはじめ, をはじめとして, をはじめとする
Attach をはじめ (optionally をはじめとして) directly to a noun. When a noun comes right after and you want to modify it, switch to the adnominal をはじめとする.
| Pattern | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Noun + をはじめ | 東京をはじめ |
| With として | Noun + をはじめとして | 東京をはじめとして |
| Adnominal | Noun + をはじめとする + Noun | 東京をはじめとする大都市 |
をはじめ and をはじめとして are interchangeable; として is a touch more formal. The one that trips people up is the last row: drop the する and アジアをはじめとする国々 collapses into the ungrammatical アジアをはじめ国々, so keep the する whenever a noun follows.
先生をはじめとして、多くの人が応援してくれた。
せんせいを はじめと して、おおくの ひとが おうえんして くれた。
A lot of people cheered me on, starting with my teacher.
東京をはじめとする大都市では家賃がとても高い。
とうきょうを はじめと する だいとしでは やちんが とても たかい。
In big cities, Tokyo foremost among them, rent is extremely high.
をはじめとする directly modifies 大都市.
Where it belongs — and where it doesn't
〜をはじめ is formal and written. You'll meet it in news articles, speeches, business writing, brochures, and essays — not in casual chat. In conversation, people more often reach for 〜とか, 〜など, or simply list things out. If you want a similar "centered on X" feel in a slightly different sense, compare 〜を中心に, which emphasizes X as the core/hub rather than the first-named representative.
Two easy ways to get it wrong
Because the kanji and reading overlap with 始める and はじめに, two confusions dominate:
- Hearing "first" where none is meant. をはじめ does not say "first, do X." It names a representative member of a group, not the first step in a sequence — that sense belongs to はじめに or まず. The はじめ here is 始め ("the leading one"), so 社長をはじめ means "with the president at the head," not an instruction to begin anything.
- Swapping the particle. It's always をはじめ, never のはじめ: 日本をはじめ (✓), 日本のはじめ (✗). The を is locked in and never shifts with the noun.
In a nutshell
- 〜をはじめ(として) = "starting with / led by / including" the prime example of a group.
- The particle is fixed: を, never の.
- It marks a representative + others, not a sequence ("first do X").
- Use 〜をはじめとする + noun to modify a noun directly.
- Register is formal/written.
Practice it
Choose the correct use of 〜をはじめ / をはじめとする.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
＿＿＿、アジア各国で人気だ。
Frequently asked questions
Does をはじめ mean 'first' or 'starting first'?
No — that's a common trap. をはじめ names the most representative member of a group, with the rest following: 社長をはじめ、社員全員 ('everyone, the president included'). For 'first, do X,' use はじめに or まず instead.
Is it をはじめ or のはじめ?
Always をはじめ. The particle を is fixed and does not change with the preceding noun: 日本をはじめ (correct).
What's the difference between をはじめ and をはじめとする?
Same meaning. Use をはじめ (or をはじめとして) on its own, and the adnominal をはじめとする when a noun follows immediately: 東京をはじめとする大都市 ('big cities, Tokyo foremost').
Is をはじめ casual or formal?
It's formal and written — news, speeches, business and academic writing. In conversation, など, とか, or a plain list sound more natural.
Where 〜をはじめ fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- を · N5 — を marks the direct object of a verb (パンを食べる), the path you move along (道を歩く), and the place you leave (家を出る). Learn all three uses with examples.
Don't confuse it with
- など・とか · N4 — など and とか give non-exhaustive examples. Learn 〜など ('such as', 'and so on'), casual 〜とか〜とか ('things like A and B'), the softening お茶など, and how they pair with や.
- 〜を中心に · N3 — 〜を中心に means 'centered on / mainly / with X at the center.' Learn the formation, the を中心として and を中心にして variants, and the adnominal を中心とした.
- 〜として · N3 — 〜として marks a role or capacity: 先生として ('as a teacher'). Learn the formation, the variants としては and としても, the set phrase 〜は別として, and how it differs from にとって.
More N3 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ばいい / 〜たらいい — 〜ばいい and 〜たらいい give advice ('you should / just have to') or express hope ('I hope it...'). Learn どうすればいい, 〜たらいいな, and how ばよかった differs.
- 〜べき — 〜べきだ means 'should' or 'ought to' — a strong, principled obligation. Learn how to form it, すべき vs するべき, the negative べきではない, and the regretful べきだった.
- 〜ことはない — 〜ことはない attaches to a dictionary-form verb to say there's no need or no reason to do something — reassurance and advice. Learn the form, the polite ことはありません, and how it differs from 〜ないことはない and なくてもいい.
- 〜ば〜ほど — 〜ば〜ほど means 'the more X, the more Y.' Learn how to repeat verbs and adjectives in the ば-form + dictionary/plain + ほど pattern, with な-adjective and noun forms.
- 〜ばよかった — 〜ばよかった expresses regret about something you didn't do: もっと早く出ればよかった ('I should have left earlier'). Learn the form, the なければよかった negative, and 〜てよかった.
- 別に〜ない — 別に〜ない means 'not particularly' or 'nothing special.' Learn how 別に pairs with a negative, the curt standalone 別に, register, and how it differs from あまり and 全然.