How to say "initiation" in Japanese

• 伝授でんじゅCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers initiation in the sense of passing on instruction, especially the secrets of an art or discipline. It refers to a master handing down specialized knowledge or techniques to a successor or student.
• 開始かいしJLPT N3approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbCovers initiation in the neutral sense of a start or commencement. Use this when something simply begins, such as a meeting, a process, or an activity, with no special nuance.
  何時いつに搭乗とうじょう開始かいしですか。↗

  What time does boarding begin?
• 洗礼せんれいCommon
  nounCovers initiation into a society or group, often with the nuance of a first, sometimes trying experience that admits one to a circle. It also means baptism in the religious sense.
• 始動しどうCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbCovers initiation as the going into action of a project or plan, with a nuance of something being set in motion. For an ordinary start, 開始 is usually the more natural choice.

Use 伝授 for initiation into the secrets of an art or discipline, 洗礼 for initiation into a society or group, and 開始 or 始動 for initiation in the sense of starting something.

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

• 伝授でんじゅ(giving) instruction (esp. in the secrets of an art, discipline, etc.)
• 開始かいしstart
• イニシエーションinitiation
• 手ほどきてほどきteaching the basics
• 直伝じきでんdirect transmission (of mystery, skill, secret, etc.)
• 奥許しおくゆるしsecret
• 洗礼せんれいinitiation (into a society, group, etc.)
• 始動しどうstarting (a project, plan, etc.)
• 仕掛けしかけcommencement