How to say "genesis" in Japanese

• 原始げんしJLPT N2approx.Common
  no-adjectiveCovers 'genesis' as the very beginning or primal origin of something — the point from which it first emerged — with a nuance of the earliest, primordial stage.
• 発端ほったんCommon
  nounTreats 'genesis' as the opening or start of something — the initial point from which a course of events unfolds, as with the genesis of an affair or dispute.
  すべての発端ほったんは、１９５５年ねん１２月がつ１日ついたち、アラバマ州あらばましゅうモントゴメリーで起おこった事件じけんであった。↗

  It all started in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955.
• 創世記そうせいきCommon
  nounRefers only to Genesis, the first book of the Bible; it is not a general word for beginnings, so use it solely when the biblical book is meant.
• 起こりおこりCommon
  nounPresents 'genesis' as the source or cause from which something arose — its beginning viewed as the root it grew out of, fitting the origin of a custom or conflict.

Use 原始 for a primordial beginning, 発端 for the opening move in a chain of events, 「起こり」 for the source or cause something grew from, and 創世記 only for the biblical book of Genesis.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 原始げんしorigin
• 発端ほったんorigin
• 創世記そうせいきGenesis (book of the Bible)
• 起こりおこりsource