kaigi no saisho ni, watashi kara saki ni setsumeisasete itadakimasu.

possessive case particle

Breakdown of kaigi no saisho ni, watashi kara saki ni setsumeisasete itadakimasu.

• に: time particle
• 説明せつめいする: to explain
• 会議かいぎ: meeting

Questions & Answers about kaigi no saisho ni, watashi kara saki ni setsumeisasete itadakimasu.

Why is there の in 会議の最初に?

の links 会議 and 最初 and means something like of.

So:

• 会議 = meeting
• 最初 = beginning / first part
• 会議の最初 = the beginning of the meeting

It works the same way as many other noun combinations in Japanese:

• 本の名前 = the name of the book
• 会社の人 = a person from the company
• 夏の終わり = the end of summer

So 会議の最初に means at the beginning of the meeting.

Why is there に after 最初?

Here, に marks a specific time or point in time.

So 最初に means at the beginning or first in a time sense.

Compare:

• 会議の最初に話します = I will speak at the beginning of the meeting.
• 三時に行きます = I will go at 3 o’clock.

In this sentence, 会議の最初に sets the time frame for the action.

What exactly does 最初 mean here?