Translation guide
The point on the earth's surface directly above or below an explosion, especially a nuclear explosion; also used figuratively for the center of rapid change or the starting point of an activity.
The location directly under an airburst or at the center of a blast, especially nuclear.
Standard term for the hypocenter or ground zero of an explosion, especially nuclear.
At the hypocenter of Hiroshima, there is the Peace Memorial Park.
Loanword from English, often used in contexts like 9/11 or nuclear tests. Familiar but less common in formal Japanese.
Many people visited Ground Zero after 9/11.
Descriptive phrase meaning 'center of the explosion'. Used when a more general term is needed.
The center of the explosion was completely destroyed.
The place or point where the most important activity or change is happening.
Means 'center' or 'hub', used for the focal point of an activity or movement.
Silicon Valley is the epicenter of the IT revolution.
Literally 'epicenter' of an earthquake, often used metaphorically for the origin of a major event or trend.
Means 'origin' or 'starting point', used when emphasizing the beginning of something.
爆心地 is the standard Japanese term for the hypocenter of a nuclear explosion. グラウンドゼロ is a loanword often associated with the 9/11 attacks in New York. For general explosions, 爆心地 is preferred.
A monument stands at the hypocenter in Nagasaki.
The epicenter of the protest movement was the university.
彼にとってその場所はキャリアの原点だ。
For him, that place is the ground zero of his career.