# Hajime

Hajime (はじめ) is the Japanese word meaning "beginning" (初め, 始め). In Japanese traditional martial arts such as karate, judo, aikido, Kūdō and kendo, it is a verbal command to "begin". Hajime is also a common Japanese given name for males.
In the Amami Islands, Hajime (元) is a surname.

## Written forms

Hajime can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
* 始め, "beginning" or "start"
* 初め, "beginning" or "first"

### as a given name

* 一, "first"
* 元, "beginning" or "origin"
* 始, "beginning" or "start"
* 肇, "beginning"
* 基, "fundamental"
* 創, "genesis"
* 孟, "beginning" or "chief"
* 甫, "beginning" or "great"
The name can also be written in hiragana as はじめ and katakana as ハジメ.

## People
### Given name

* Hajime Funada (船田 元, born 1953), Japanese politician
* Hajime Hana (ハナ 肇, 1930–1993), Japanese musician, actor and comedian
* Hidenokuni Hajime (英ノ国 一, born 1971), Japanese sumo wrestler
* Hajime Hirota (広田 一, born 1968), Japanese politician
* Hajime Hosogai (細貝 萌, born 1986), Japanese football player
* Hajime Hosokawa (細川 一, 1901–1970), first doctor to discover the Minamata disease
* Hajime Iijima (飯島 肇, born 1976), Japanese voice actor
* Hajime Isayama (諫山 創, born 1986), Japanese manga artist; creator of manga Attack on Titan
* Hajime Ishibashi (石橋甫, 1862–1942), Japanese Vice-Admiral
* Hajime Ishii (石井 一, born 1934), Japanese politician
* Hajime Ishii (footballer) (石井 肇, born 1959), Japanese footballer and manager
* Hajime Ishikawa (石川 元, born 1941), Japanese rower
* Hajime Kagimoto (鍵本 肇), Japanese table tennis player
* Hajime Kanzaka (神坂 一, born 1964), Japanese novelist and manga story writer
* Hajime Katoki (カトキ ハジメ, born 1963), Japanese mecha (fictional walking robots) designer
* Hajime Kawakami (河上 肇, 1879–1946), Japanese Marxist economist
* Hajime Kazumi (数見 肇, born 1971), Japanese karateka
* Hajime Matsumoto (松本 哉, born 1974), Japanese activist, and a recycle shop owner
* Hajime Meshiai (飯合 肇, born 1954), Japanese golfer
* Hajime Mizoguchi (溝口 肇, born 1960), Japanese cellist and composer
* Hajime Moriyasu (森保 一, born 1968), Japanese football player
* Hajime Nakamura (中村 元, 1911–1999), Japanese academic of Vedic, Hindu and Buddhist scriptures
* Hajime Okayasu (岡安 肇, born 1936), Japanese anime and film editor and director
* Saitō Hajime (斎藤 一, 1844–1915), samurai who served in the Shinsengumi
* Hajime Satomi (里見 治, born 1942), founder of Sammy Corporation
* Hajime Sawatari (沢渡 朔, born 1940), Japanese photographer
* Hajime Seki (關 一, 1873–1935), Japanese politician
* Hajime Sorayama (空山 基, born 1947), Japanese illustrator
* Hajime Sugiyama (杉山 元, 1880–1945), minister of war in the Imperial Japanese Army
* Hajime Taguchi (田口 一, born 1975), Japanese writer
* Hajime Takano (高野 孟, born 1944), Japanese journalist
* Hajime Tamura (田村 元, 1924–2014), Japanese politician
* Hajime Tanabe (田辺 元, 1889–1962), Japanese philosopher
* Hajime Taniguchi (谷口 一, born 1985), Japanese professional fighting game player
* Hajime Tomii (富井 一, born 1940), Japanese alpine skier
* Hajime Ueda (ウエダ ハジメ), Japanese manga artist
* Hajime Watanabe (animator) (渡辺 はじめ, born 1957), Japanese animator and character designer
* Watanabe Hajime (samurai), Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period
* Hajime Watanuki (綿貫 甫, born 1939), Japanese sport shooter
* Hajime Yasunaga (安永 一, 1901–1994), Japanese amateur Go player
* Hajime Yoshikawa (吉川 元, born 1967), Japanese politician

### Surname

* Chitose Hajime (元; born 1979), Japanese singer

## Characters

* Hajime Aikawa (始), a character from the Japanese live-action television series Kamen Rider Blade
* Hajime Aokaze (蒼風一), a character from the anime series You and Idol Pretty Cure
* Hajime Aoyagi (一), a character from the anime/manga series Yowamushi Pedal
* Hajime Aoyama (ハジメ), a character from the anime series Ghost Stories
* Hajime Fukuroda, a character from Japanese live-action television series Great Teacher Onizuka (2012)
* Hajime Hinata (日向 創), the protagonist of the visual novel Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
* Hajime Ichinose (はじめ), the protagonist of Gatchaman Crowds
* Hajime Iwaizumi (岩泉 一), a character from the anime series Haikyuu!! with the position of vice captain and wing spiker from Aoba Johsai High
* Hajime Katsura (はじめ), a character from the anime/manga series Digimon Universe: App Monsters
* Hajime Kindaichi (一), a character from the anime/manga series Kindaichi Case Files
* Hajime Kunihiro (一), a female character from the anime/manga series Saki
* Hajime Makunouchi, a character from the Danganronpa fangame, Super Danganronpa Another 2
* Hajime Nagumo (南雲 ハジメ), the protagonist in the anime and manga series Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest
* Hajime Owari (尾張 ハジメ), a character from the anime series Dagashi Kashi
* Hajime Shino (紫之 創), a character from the game franchise Ensemble Stars!
* Hajime Tanaka (田中 一), a character in the Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan rhythm video game duology
* Hajime Tenga (一), one of the main characters from the anime series Kiznaiver
* Hajime Tsukishima (基), a character from the anime/manga series Golden Kamuy
* Hajime Yagi (はじめ), a character from the anime/manga series The World of Narue
* Hajime Yamaoka, a character from Ultraman Nexus who were killed and resurrected by Dark Zagi using the alias Mitsuhiko Ishibori
* Mutsuki Hajime (睦月 始), a character from the anime series Tsukiuta. The Animation
* Saitō Hajime (斎藤 一), a character from the anime/manga series Rurouni Kenshin
* Hajime Kashimo (鹿紫雲一), a character from the manga series Jujutsu Kaisen

## Other uses

* Hajime Yatate (肇), a pseudonym for the collective contributions of the Sunrise animation staff
* Hajime (malware)