～において／～における — In; At; Regarding (Formal)
A formal equivalent of で or に, used to indicate the place, time, situation, or field in which something occurs. において modifies verbs, while における modifies nouns. Common in writing, speeches, and academic contexts.
Structure
[Noun] + において (+ verb) / [Noun] + における + [Noun]
Examples
会議は東京において開かれる。
Kaigi wa Toukyou ni oite hirakareru.
The conference will be held in Tokyo.
東京 + において marks the place formally, replacing で
現代社会における問題を考える。
Gendai shakai ni okeru mondai wo kangaeru.
We consider the problems in modern society.
における links noun 現代社会 to noun 問題
この分野において、彼は第一人者だ。
Kono bun'ya ni oite, kare wa daiichininsha da.
In this field, he is the leading authority.
分野 (field) + において indicates the domain/respect in which the statement holds
• Register: formal/written; unnatural in casual speech (use で instead). • において modifies verbs; における attaches directly before a noun. • Covers place, time, situation, or field of activity.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～において／～における is tested against.
vs で
において is the formal written counterpart of で; で is the everyday spoken particle for place/situation.
vs に関して
において marks the setting/field where something happens, while に関して marks the topic that something is about.
More formal expressions
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