This site will be taken down March 31st, 2026.

This was not an easy decision to make. For the last couple years, I have been struggling to find motivation for this site and to keep up with basic maintenance and security updates. With the rise of AI and more sophisticated tools, the usefulness of sites like this is questionable and traffic has nose-dived. I just don't have it in me to keep doing this. Thank you all for 10 years of support!

Zach

最初私はギターをひくことができなかった。

Sentence Analyzer

最初 ギター ひく こと できなかった

English Translation

At first, I couldn't play the guitar.

Furigana

最初(さいしょ)(わたし)はギターをひくことができなかった。

Romanji

Saisho watashi wa gita- o hiku koto ga dekinakatta.

Words

最初 (さいしょ)
beginning; outset; first; onset
(わたし、わたくし)
I; me; private affairs; personal matter; secrecy; selfishness
()
topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
ギター (ギター)
guitar
()
indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.
轢く (ひく)
to run somebody over (with vehicle); to knock someone down
(こと、こん)
thing; matter; incident; occurrence; event; something serious; trouble; crisis; circumstances; situation; state of affairs; work; business; affair; after an inflectable word, creates a noun phrase indicating something the speaker does not feel close to; nominalizing suffix; pretending to ...; playing make-believe ...; alias; aka; nickname; alternative name; also known as
()
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; still; and
出来る (できる)
to be able (in a position) to do; to be up to the task; to be ready; to be completed; to be made; to be built; to be good at; to be permitted (to do); to become intimate; to take up (with somebody); to grow; to be raised; to become pregnant

Kanji

Readings: サイ、 シュ、 もっと.も、 つま
Meanings: utmost, most, extreme
Readings: ショ、 はじ.め、 はじ.めて、 はつ、 はつ-、 うい-、 -そ.める、 -ぞ.め
Meanings: first time, beginning
Readings: シ、 わたくし、 わたし
Meanings: private, I, me