1.
barely, narrowly, just
Managing to do something by a very small margin, with difficulty.
辛うじて合格した。
I barely passed.
辛うじて間に合った。
I just barely made it in time.
事故を辛うじて避けた。
I narrowly avoided the accident.
辛うじて is an adverb meaning "barely" or "narrowly," emphasizing that something was achieved with great difficulty.
NUANCE:
Implies that failure/disaster was very close and success came only by a small margin. Often used for near-misses or last-minute saves.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 辛うじて間に合う: to barely make it in time
- 辛うじて合格する: to barely pass
- 辛うじて逃れる: to narrowly escape
- 辛うじて助かる: to barely survive
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- ぎりぎり: just barely (more casual)
- やっと: finally, at last (emphasizes effort)
- なんとか: somehow, barely
- 辛うじて: barely (emphasizes small margin)