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Words Kanji Guides About

発端 (ほったん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

発ほっ端たん

ほ

っ

た

ん

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

origin; beginning; start

Refers to the very first point or cause from which something arises, often used for events, stories, or problems.

事じ件けんの発ほっ端たんは小ちいさな誤ご解かいだった。
The origin of the incident was a small misunderstanding.
この物もの

語がたり

の

発ほっ

端たん

を

教おし

え

て

ください

。

Please tell me how this story began.

Kanji

発departure, discharge, publish
端edge, origin, end

Similar words

起き源げん
起源 is more formal and often used for historical or scientific origins, while 発端 is more common for the start of events or narratives.
始はじまり
始まり is a general word for 'beginning', while 発端 emphasizes the initial trigger or root cause.

Etymology

Compound of 発 (hatsu, 'departure, beginning') and 端 (tan, 'edge, start'). The reading ほったん is a regular sound change from はったん.