Grammar Info

N1 Lesson 2: 5/18

を皮切(かわき)りにBeginning of, Starting with

Structure

Noun + を皮切(かわき)りにして(1)
Verb［る］(2) + の + を皮切(かわき)りにして(1)

(1) を皮切(かわき)りとして
(2) Verb［た］

Details

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    Standard

About を皮切りに

を皮切(かわき)りに is a grammar structure that will be utilized with nouns in order to show the starting point for something, from which it then expanded, or something kept happening after. In most cases, を皮切(かわき)りに will just be translated as 'starting with (A)', or 'beginning with (A)'.

This structure is a combination of the adverbial particle を, the noun 皮切(かわき)り 'beginning' or 'outset', and the case-marking particle に. It will appear after nouns or phrases that have been nominalized, before going on to explain how something continued to expand afterwards.

In place of に by itself, にして and として are also standard variations of the same grammar pattern.

Caution

It is rare for を皮切(かわき)りに to be used in relation to natural phenomena, or negative results. What happens as a result of (A) will usually be something positive, and have a specific 'doer'.

Fun Fact

Although 皮切(かわき)り is really only used to mean 'beginning', the kanji combination of 'to cut a hide' can be used as a helpful memory tool for the nuance of creating a starting point from which something expanded outwards over a large area, like skinning an animal.

Examples

--:--

    皆川(みながわ)さんが監督(かんとく)として選(えら)ばれたのを皮切(かわき)りにして、うちのチームは次々(つぎつぎ)とスポーツの成功(せいこう)を掴(つか)んだ。

    Starting with Minagawa-san being chosen as our trainer, our team continued to be successful.

    店(みせ)の移転(いてん)を皮切(かわき)りとして、売上(うりあ)げがどんどんと上(あ)がっています。

    Starting with the shop relocation, sales are rapidly increasing.

    「レオナルド・ディカプリオはタイタニックの主人公(しゅじんこう)になったのを皮切(かわき)りにしてスターへの道(みち)を歩(あゆ)み始(はじ)め、大(だい)ヒット映画(えいが)に出演(しゅつえん)している。」

    'Starting with his leading role in Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio embarked on the road to stardom and has appeared in many hit movies.'

    東京(とうきょう)を皮切(かわき)りに、明治(めいじ)時代(じだい)を舞台(ぶたい)にした演劇(えんげき)「〇〇」が全国(ぜんこく)３０劇場(さんじゅうげきじょう)で公演(こうえん)されます。

    Starting with Tokyo, the play XX, which is set in the Meiji era, will be performed at 30 theaters nationwide.

    それを皮切(かわき)りとして、コンビニは相次(あいつ)いで出店(しゅってん)し始(はじ)めた。

    Starting with that, convenience stores started opening one after the other.

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