を中心に(して) — Centering On
Indicates that something is the center or focal point of an activity, movement, or arrangement — 'centering on', 'mainly', or 'with ... at the core'. It can refer to a physical center, a central figure, or the main focus of an effort. The form を中心とする／を中心とした is used to modify a noun.
Structure
[Noun] + を中心に(して) ／ [Noun] + を中心とする・とした + [Noun]
Examples
この町は駅を中心に発展してきた。
Kono machi wa eki o chuushin ni hatten shite kita.
This town has developed centering on the station.
駅 (station) + を中心に marks the focal point of the town's growth.
彼女を中心にしてチームがまとまった。
Kanojo o chuushin ni shite chiimu ga matomatta.
The team came together with her at its center.
彼女 (she) + を中心にして shows she is the central figure.
若者を中心とした運動が広がっている。
Wakamono o chuushin to shita undou ga hirogatte iru.
A movement centered on young people is spreading.
を中心とした modifies 運動 to describe its core participants.
• を中心に(して) works adverbially; を中心とする／とした modifies a following noun. • Can describe a spatial center, a key person, or a main theme. • Register: neutral to formal, common in news and reports.
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(して) is tested against.
vs をめぐって
をめぐって frames a topic of dispute/discussion, while を中心に marks something as the focal core of an activity.
vs をもとに
をもとに means 'based on (a source/material)', whereas を中心に means an activity revolves around a central point.
More expressions
Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki
Everything on this page, free to browse
- 7,788 JLPT vocabulary words, N5 through N1, with readings and audio
- 2,057 kanji with on'yomi, kun'yomi and stroke-order practice
- 444 grammar points with examples and commonly-confused comparisons
- Full-length N5 and N4 mock exams, timed, with real listening audio
Get the Android app