〜を皮切りに: 'Kicking Off a Series' (Meaning + Examples)
The first of a series
Nを皮切りに marks N as the opening event of a chain of similar events — a tour, an expansion, a rollout — that continue afterward.
東京を皮切りに、全国ツアーが始まった。
とうきょうを かわきりに、ぜんこく つあーが はじまった。
Starting with Tokyo, the nationwide tour began.
Classic concert-tour pattern.
この製品を皮切りに、新シリーズを展開する予定だ。
この せいひんを かわきりに、しんしりーずを てんかいする よていだ。
Starting with this product, we plan to roll out a whole new series.
Common in business announcements.
やったんの誕生日会を皮切りに、もちは毎月パーティーを開くようになった。
やったんの たんじょうびかいを かわきりに、もちは まいつき ぱーてぃーを ひらくように なった。
Starting with Yattan's birthday party, Mochi began throwing a party every month.
Original example: one event starts a recurring pattern.
Form: Noun + を皮切りに
を皮切りに attaches to a noun naming the first event or location in the series.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (event/place) | N + を皮切りに | 東京を皮切りに = starting with Tokyo |
| Noun (event) | N + を皮切りに | 福岡店を皮切りに = starting with the Fukuoka branch |
福岡店を皮切りに、九州全域に出店していく。
ふくおかてんを かわきりに、きゅうしゅう ぜんいきに しゅってん していく。
Starting with the Fukuoka branch, we will open stores across all of Kyushu.
Not the same as 〜を限りに
を皮切りに opens a series; 〜を限りに closes one. Both mark a noun as a turning point, but を皮切りに says "and more like this will follow," while を限りに says "and nothing like this will follow." Check which direction the sentence is pointing before choosing.
The short version
- 〜を皮切りに = "starting with X" — the first in a series of similar events that continue afterward.
- Attaches to: Noun (an event, place, or occasion).
- Nuance/register: formal, written; common in news, tours, and business rollouts.
- Don't confuse with: 〜を限りに, which marks an ending, not a beginning.
Practice it
Choose the correct use of 〜を皮切りに to mark the first event in a series.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
東京＿＿＿、全国ツアーが始まった。
Where 〜を皮切りに fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
More N1 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜を機に — 〜を機に means 'taking X as the occasion' — a formal way to say someone used an event as the opportunity to make a decisive change. It attaches to a noun and often carries a positive, deliberate nuance.
- 〜を除いて / を除き — 〜を除いて marks an exception before a general statement, and in formal writing shortens to the literary conjunctive 〜を除き; at N1 it often pairs with totality words like 全員・ほぼ全て in news and report style.
- 〜をおいて — 〜をおいて, almost always paired with a negative like いない or ない, means 'other than X, there is no one/nothing' — an emphatic, rhetorical way of saying X is the only one truly qualified.
- 〜を余儀なくされる — 〜を余儀なくされる means 'to be forced/compelled to (do)' by circumstances beyond one's control. Formal written Japanese, always passive in feeling — the subject has no real choice.
- 〜をよそに — 〜をよそに means 'disregarding' or 'paying no attention to' — someone acts without regard for others' worry, expectations, or a surrounding situation. Formal, and often carries a note of criticism or striking contrast.
- 〜や否や — 〜や否や means 'the moment that / no sooner than' — a second event follows the first with zero gap. Formal written Japanese used for dramatic, immediate sequences of action.