Japanese phrase
どうやって始めましたか？ dō ya tte haji me ma shi ta ka
Meaning
How did you get started?
When to use it
Asks how someone began an activity. This polite but friendly question often invites a brief description of the first step.
Example dialogue
日本語の勉強はどうやって始めましたか？ nihon go no ben kyō wa dō ya tte haji me ma shi ta ka
How did you get started with studying Japanese?
動画を見て始めました。 dō ga o mi te haji me ma shi ta
I got started by watching videos.