～を中心に — With This At the Core
を中心に (or を中心として) means centering on, focusing mainly on, or with something at the core. It marks the central figure, place, topic, or focal point around which an activity or arrangement revolves. It can describe both a physical center and a conceptual main focus.
Structure
[Noun] + を中心に(して)／を中心として／を中心とした
Examples
この店は若者を中心に人気がある。
Kono mise wa wakamono o chuushin ni ninki ga aru.
This shop is popular mainly among young people.
若者を中心に marks young people as the central group where popularity concentrates.
会議では環境問題を中心に話し合った。
Kaigi de wa kankyou mondai o chuushin ni hanashiatta.
At the meeting we discussed mainly focusing on environmental issues.
環境問題を中心に shows the discussion revolved around environmental issues.
太陽を中心として、惑星が回っている。
Taiyou o chuushin to shite, wakusei ga mawatte iru.
The planets revolve with the sun at the center.
を中心として marks the sun as the physical center of the orbits.
• を中心とした + noun modifies the following noun ('centered-on X ~'). • Works for both physical centers and conceptual main focuses. • Register: neutral; common in explanations, reports, and news.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～を中心に is tested against.
vs ～を巡って
を巡って means 'concerning/disputing over (an issue)', often about conflict, while を中心に neutrally marks the focal center of an activity.
vs ～において
において marks the setting/field where something occurs, whereas を中心に marks the core focus around which things revolve.
More expressions
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