Skip to content
JLPT N2Formal Expressions

～をはじめ／をはじめとして— Starting With

をはじめ (and the fuller をはじめとして) introduces a prime or representative example from a larger group, meaning 'starting with' or 'including, as the foremost'. It highlights one salient member and implies many others follow. Common when listing notable items, people, or places, especially in formal or written style.

Grammar path · 練習

Practice this in the path

A short lesson: the pattern, its sentence anatomy, a quick quiz and a sentence to build.

Pro lessonUNIT 61 · FORMAL EXPRESSIONS

Structure · 形

[Noun] + をはじめ／をはじめとして

Examples · 例文

  • 東京をはじめ、日本には魅力的な都市がたくさんある。

    Tōkyō o hajime, Nihon ni wa miryokuteki na toshi ga takusan aru.

    Starting with Tokyo, Japan has many attractive cities.

    をはじめ marks 東京 as the leading example of the many cities that follow.

  • 社長をはじめとして、全社員が式典に出席した。

    Shachō o hajime to shite, zen-shain ga shikiten ni shusseki shita.

    Beginning with the president, all employees attended the ceremony.

    をはじめとして presents 社長 as the foremost among all the attendees.

  • この地域は温泉をはじめ、観光資源が豊富だ。

    Kono chiiki wa onsen o hajime, kankō shigen ga hōfu da.

    This region is rich in tourist resources, starting with its hot springs.

    をはじめ picks out 温泉 as the representative example of the region's resources.

Usage notes · 注意

  • Register: formal/written; frequent in speeches and brochures.
  • をはじめとする + noun can modify a following noun: 社長をはじめとする役員たち.
  • The example named is usually the most important or representative of the group.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～をはじめ／をはじめとして is tested against.

vs～など

など simply lists examples loosely ('and so on'); をはじめ singles out one item as the leading, most representative example of the set.

vs～を中心に

を中心に means 'centered on / mainly around'; をはじめ means 'first and foremost among others', emphasizing a leading example rather than a focal center.

More formal expressions

Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki

Everything on this page, ready to study

  • 7,788 JLPT vocabulary words, N5 through N1, with readings and audio (N5 free)
  • 2,057 kanji with on'yomi, kun'yomi and stroke-order practice
  • 445 grammar points with examples and commonly-confused comparisons
  • Full-length N5 and N4 mock exams, timed, with real listening audio (N5 sets 1 and 2 free)