1.
key point; strategic location; important position
A place or position of critical importance, whether geographically strategic, organizationally significant, or functionally essential.
要所に警備員を配置した。
We stationed security guards at key points.
この城は軍事の要所だった。
This castle was a strategic military position.
要所要所をしっかり押さえておけば、全体の流れは理解できる。
If you grasp the key points, you can understand the overall flow.
USAGE:
Can refer to a physical location of strategic importance (military, geographic) or more abstractly to key points in a plan, argument, or process. The reduplicated form 要所要所 means "at every key point" and is commonly used.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 要所を押さえる (to secure key points; to cover the essentials)
- 要所に配置する (to station at key positions)
- 要所要所 (at every key point)
- 交通の要所 (a transportation hub)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 要点: main point — focuses on the core content of an argument or explanation
- 拠点: base, stronghold — emphasizes a base of operations rather than strategic importance