1.
turning point; watershed moment
A moment or event that marks a significant change in the course of a situation, career, or life. Implies that things go in a new direction afterward.
あの出会いが人生の転機になった。
That encounter became a turning point in my life.
病気をきっかけに生き方を見直し、それが大きな転機となった。
Illness led me to reexamine my way of living, and that became a major turning point.
会社の経営が苦しい時期もあったが、海外進出が転機となって業績が回復した。
There was a period when the company's management was struggling, but expanding overseas became a turning point and business performance recovered.
Compound of 転 (turn, change) + 機 (opportunity, moment). Not to be confused with the homophone 天気 (weather).
転機 is generally used for positive or neutral changes. It often appears in autobiographical narratives, interviews, and essays about life changes.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 人生の転機 (turning point in life)
- 大きな転機 (major turning point)
- 転機になる (to become a turning point)
- 転機を迎える (to reach a turning point)
- 転機が訪れる (a turning point arrives)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 岐路: crossroads, fork in the road (implies a choice between paths)
- 節目: milestone, juncture (a notable point in time, not necessarily a change)