Hatsutaiken is the Japanese word for ‘first experience’

What does “hatsutaiken” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use hatsutaiken to mean the ‘first experience’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’m explaining how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand hatsutaiken more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “hatsutaiken”
• Hatsutaiken in kanji
  • How to say “first experience” in Japanese
  • Another example of “hatsutaiken”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “hatsutaiken”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of hatsutaiken.

• hatsutaiken – 初体験 (はつたいけん) : a noun used to mean the ‘first experience’ in Japanese.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji expression in detail.

Hatsutaiken in kanji

The kanji expression of hatsutaiken consists of the following two parts:

• hatsu – 初 (はつ) : a prefix often used to add the meaning of ‘first’ in Japanese.
• taiken – 体験 (たいけん) : a noun used to mean ‘experience’ in Japanese.

From these two parts, we can understand that hatsutaiken literally means the ‘first experience’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the actual meaning.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of hatsutaiken through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of hatsutaiken together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “first experience” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used to mean ‘this’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after kore to make the subject in the sentence.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun used to mean ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after watashi to make its possessive case, watashi no, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• yuki – 雪 (ゆき) : a noun used to mean ‘snow’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns or noun equivalent words. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join yuki and hatsutaiken. The formed phrase literally means the ‘first experience of snow’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, of.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, this is used after watashi no yuki no hatsutaiken to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of hatsutaiken. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, watashi no yuki no hatsutaiken, which means ‘my first experience of snow’ in Japanese.

Another example of “hatsutaiken”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun used to mean ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after kanojo to make the subject in the sentence.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after hatsutaiken to make the object in the sentence.
• omoidase – 思い出せ (おもいだせ) : one conjugation of the potential verb, omoidaseru, which means ‘can remember’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of not. In the example, this is used after omoidase to deny its meaning.

This is another example of hatsutaiken. When we want to mean the ‘first experience’ in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of hatsutaiken in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• hatsutaiken – 初体験 (はつたいけん) : a noun used to mean the ‘first experience’ in Japanese. These three kanji characters literally mean the ‘first experience’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is completely in line with the actual meaning.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.