Word
初耳
Meaning in Englishsomething heard for the first time
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
What does 初耳 mean? It means something that is new to a listener’s knowledge, heard for the first time, often to express surprise at learning new information.
Main meanings
- new information to me — hatsumimi
- surprise at learning something previously unknown
- casual reaction to novel facts, often used when someone realizes they didn’t know something
How to use it
Used in casual to semi-formal speech to react to newly learned information; commonly appears after someone shares surprising news and can stand alone as a short reaction or be embedded in a larger sentence about the information being new to the speaker.
Variants and close terms
- casual form: 初耳だ — hatsumimi da
- polite form: 初耳です — hatsumimi desu
Composition
- 初 — first, beginning
- 耳 — ear
Etymology
初 first, beginning; 耳 ear; together they convey hearing something for the first time
Word class
Noun (na-adjective when used with だ/です)