The origin of the incident was a small misunderstanding.
Please tell me how this story began.
That small incident became the starting point of a major war.
The origin of this problem lies in a trivial misunderstanding.
発端 emphasizes the originating cause or trigger of an event, while 冒頭 simply marks the physical or structural opening section of something.
発端 focuses on the origin of an event or story (how something came to happen), while 起点 is a more neutral term for any starting point, physical or abstract.
発端 stresses the specific incident that triggers a chain of events, while 起こり can refer more generally to the root or start of something.
発端 emphasizes the triggering cause or root of an event, while 始め simply marks the point in time where something starts.
発端 is a formal word for the origin or trigger of a situation (often trouble), while 皮切り highlights the first item in an intentional sequence, as in ...を皮切りに.
発端 points to the origin or cause of something that has already happened, while 糸口 points to a clue or starting point for something still to be solved.
発端 is a neutral term for the origin or trigger of an event, while 序幕 carries a theatrical, dramatic connotation of an opening act.
発端 refers to the very beginning or origin of an event, while 契機 highlights the causal trigger that leads to a subsequent change.