What does 初 (hatsu | はつ) mean in Japanese?

The Japanese word

初めは病気だと思った。
hajime wa byōki da to omotta.
At first, I thought they were sick. | At first, I thought I was sick. | At first, I thought he was sick. | At first, I thought she was sick.

最初着る前に洗濯してください。
saisho kiru mae ni sentaku shi te kudasai.
Wash before first wearing.

しかも初陣があのドラゴン退治！
shikamo uijin ga ano doragon taiji!
What's more, our first battle is to defeat that dragon!

初詣、ご利益があるのはどこの神社？
hatsumōde, goriyaku ga aru no wa doko no jinja?
New Year shrine visit; which shrines are potent?

勿論最初の約束優先ということで謝ったわ。
mochiron saisho no yakusoku yūsen toyū koto de ayamatta wa.
Of course I apologised, saying that the first appointment had priority.

まず最初の議題は今朝の同衾騒動の件について。
mazu saisho no gidai wa kesa no dōkin sōdō no ken nitsuite.
Starting off, first on the agenda is about this morning's two-in-a-bed ruckus.

列車の中で、最初のうちは彼だと分からなかった。
ressha no naka de, saisho no uchi wa kare da to wakara nakatta.
I didn't recognize him at first on the train.

ブルース夫人は英日間を飛んだ最初の女性パイロットであった。
burūsu fujin wa ei nichi kan o ton da saisho no josei pairotto de atta.
Mrs. Bruce was the first female pilot to fly between England and Japan.

こんなシリアスな芝居を見るのは初めてで貴重な経験ができました。
konna shiriasu na shibai o miru no wa hajimete de kichō na keiken ga deki mashi ta.
That was the first time I had seen such a serious play so it was a valuable experience.

いくら壁が高いといっても、私も最初はおっかなびっくりでしたよ。
ikura kabe ga takai to itte mo, watashi mo saisho wa okkanabikkuri deshi ta yo.
You're right when you say how high the wall is; I was nervous at first, too.

最初は別々だったんですがある日一緒行き帰りするようになりました。
saisho wa betsubetsu dattan desu ga aru hi issho yukikaeri suru yō ni nari mashi ta.
At first we used to go separately, but one day we started going and returning together.

あたし、最初は女の子がいいな！ほら、一姫二太郎っていうじゃない。
atashi, saisho wa onnanoko ga ī na! hora, ichihimenitarō tteyū ja nai.
I'd like to have a girl the first time. Look, they say 'First a girl, then a boy' don't they?

凄いです！こんな感動的な話は初めてです！まさに美談の中の美談です！
sugoi desu! konna kandō teki na hanashi wa hajimete desu! masani bidan no naka no bidan desu!
Amazing! This moving a story is a first for me! It's truly an epic among epics!

いえ、これは秘宝ですから。わたくしたちもこの度、初めて見たのです。
ie, kore wa hihō desu kara. watakushi tachi mo kono tabi, hajimete mi ta no desu.
No, it's a national treasure, you see. This is the first time we've seen it as well.

初めてのアレの日は、確かに病気かと二日間ほど誰にも言わず思い悩んだ記憶があります。
hajimete no are no hi wa, tashika ni byōki ka to ni nichikan hodo dare ni mo iwa zu omoinayan da kioku ga ari masu.
The first 'that time of the month' I seem to remember worrying that I was ill, without telling anybody, for two days.

この空港は新千歳空港ほど便数が多くないので、送迎デッキから見ても最初は飛行機がいませんでした。
kono kūkō wa shin chitosekūkō hodo binsū ga ōku nai node, sōgei dekki kara mi te mo saisho wa hikōki ga i masen deshi ta.
This airport doesn't have as many flights as New Chitose Airport and even looking from the observation deck at first there were no planes.

テルミン：一九二〇年、ロシアの物理学者レフ・セルゲイヴィッチ・テルミンが作った世界初の電子楽器。
terumin : ichi kyū ni rei nen, roshia no butsuri gakusha refu.serugeivicchi.terumin ga tsukutta sekai hatsu no denshi gakki.
Theremin: The world's first electronic musical instrument, made by Russian physicist Lev Sergeivitch Termen in 1920.

「カイちゃんよー、お姉ちゃんはスゴク悲しいよー。こんなことで人生初体験だよ」「え？」「夜・逃・げ」.
### - ' kai chan yō, o nēchan wa sugoku kanashī yō. konna koto de jinsei hatsu taiken da yo ' ' e? ' ' yoru . 逃 . ge '
"Kai dear! I'm really sad! Having my first experience in this way." "Eh?" "Skip-ping-town.".

初めて催眠に入る人の場合、とても浅い催眠状態から、覚醒してもらって、催眠状態と普通に覚醒した状態とを比べてもらうことがよくあります。
hajimete saimin ni hairu hito no bāi, totemo asai saimin jōtai kara, kakusei shi te moratte, saimin jōtai to futsū ni kakusei shi ta jōtai to o kurabe te morau koto ga yoku ari masu.
When people are being put into a hypnotic state for the first time I often, after placing them in a very light hypnotic state, wake them and ask them to compare their wakening state to that when hypnotised.

	The Japanese word
	初
	is pronounced
	hatsu \| はつ
	means
	first, new

	Examples:
	初めは病気だと思った。 hajime wa byōki da to omotta. At first, I thought they were sick. \| At first, I thought I was sick. \| At first, I thought he was sick. \| At first, I thought she was sick.
	最初着る前に洗濯してください。 saisho kiru mae ni sentaku shi te kudasai. Wash before first wearing.
	しかも初陣があのドラゴン退治！ shikamo uijin ga ano doragon taiji! What's more, our first battle is to defeat that dragon!
	初詣、ご利益があるのはどこの神社？ hatsumōde, goriyaku ga aru no wa doko no jinja? New Year shrine visit; which shrines are potent?
	勿論最初の約束優先ということで謝ったわ。 mochiron saisho no yakusoku yūsen toyū koto de ayamatta wa. Of course I apologised, saying that the first appointment had priority.
	まず最初の議題は今朝の同衾騒動の件について。 mazu saisho no gidai wa kesa no dōkin sōdō no ken nitsuite. Starting off, first on the agenda is about this morning's two-in-a-bed ruckus.
	列車の中で、最初のうちは彼だと分からなかった。 ressha no naka de, saisho no uchi wa kare da to wakara nakatta. I didn't recognize him at first on the train.
	ブルース夫人は英日間を飛んだ最初の女性パイロットであった。 burūsu fujin wa ei nichi kan o ton da saisho no josei pairotto de atta. Mrs. Bruce was the first female pilot to fly between England and Japan.
	こんなシリアスな芝居を見るのは初めてで貴重な経験ができました。 konna shiriasu na shibai o miru no wa hajimete de kichō na keiken ga deki mashi ta. That was the first time I had seen such a serious play so it was a valuable experience.
	いくら壁が高いといっても、私も最初はおっかなびっくりでしたよ。 ikura kabe ga takai to itte mo, watashi mo saisho wa okkanabikkuri deshi ta yo. You're right when you say how high the wall is; I was nervous at first, too.
	最初は別々だったんですがある日一緒行き帰りするようになりました。 saisho wa betsubetsu dattan desu ga aru hi issho yukikaeri suru yō ni nari mashi ta. At first we used to go separately, but one day we started going and returning together.
	あたし、最初は女の子がいいな！ほら、一姫二太郎っていうじゃない。 atashi, saisho wa onnanoko ga ī na! hora, ichihimenitarō tteyū ja nai. I'd like to have a girl the first time. Look, they say 'First a girl, then a boy' don't they?
	凄いです！こんな感動的な話は初めてです！まさに美談の中の美談です！ sugoi desu! konna kandō teki na hanashi wa hajimete desu! masani bidan no naka no bidan desu! Amazing! This moving a story is a first for me! It's truly an epic among epics!
	いえ、これは秘宝ですから。わたくしたちもこの度、初めて見たのです。 ie, kore wa hihō desu kara. watakushi tachi mo kono tabi, hajimete mi ta no desu. No, it's a national treasure, you see. This is the first time we've seen it as well.
	初めてのアレの日は、確かに病気かと二日間ほど誰にも言わず思い悩んだ記憶があります。 hajimete no are no hi wa, tashika ni byōki ka to ni nichikan hodo dare ni mo iwa zu omoinayan da kioku ga ari masu. The first 'that time of the month' I seem to remember worrying that I was ill, without telling anybody, for two days.
	この空港は新千歳空港ほど便数が多くないので、送迎デッキから見ても最初は飛行機がいませんでした。 kono kūkō wa shin chitosekūkō hodo binsū ga ōku nai node, sōgei dekki kara mi te mo saisho wa hikōki ga i masen deshi ta. This airport doesn't have as many flights as New Chitose Airport and even looking from the observation deck at first there were no planes.
	テルミン：一九二〇年、ロシアの物理学者レフ・セルゲイヴィッチ・テルミンが作った世界初の電子楽器。 terumin : ichi kyū ni rei nen, roshia no butsuri gakusha refu.serugeivicchi.terumin ga tsukutta sekai hatsu no denshi gakki. Theremin: The world's first electronic musical instrument, made by Russian physicist Lev Sergeivitch Termen in 1920.
	「カイちゃんよー、お姉ちゃんはスゴク悲しいよー。こんなことで人生初体験だよ」「え？」「夜・逃・げ」. ### - ' kai chan yō, o nēchan wa sugoku kanashī yō. konna koto de jinsei hatsu taiken da yo ' ' e? ' ' yoru . 逃 . ge ' "Kai dear! I'm really sad! Having my first experience in this way." "Eh?" "Skip-ping-town.".
	初めて催眠に入る人の場合、とても浅い催眠状態から、覚醒してもらって、催眠状態と普通に覚醒した状態とを比べてもらうことがよくあります。 hajimete saimin ni hairu hito no bāi, totemo asai saimin jōtai kara, kakusei shi te moratte, saimin jōtai to futsū ni kakusei shi ta jōtai to o kurabe te morau koto ga yoku ari masu. When people are being put into a hypnotic state for the first time I often, after placing them in a very light hypnotic state, wake them and ask them to compare their wakening state to that when hypnotised.

	Examples sourced from tatoeba.org