1.
edge; border; verge
The very edge or boundary of something physical — the point where one thing ends and another begins.
水際に立つ。
Stand at the water's edge.
窓際の席に座った。
I sat in a seat by the window.
崖の際まで近づくのは危険だ。
It's dangerous to approach the edge of the cliff.
2.
critical moment; brink; last moment
A crucial point in time, especially a critical juncture or the moment just before something happens. Often used in the pattern ~の際 or 土壇場.
死の際に家族を呼んだ。
On the verge of death, they called for their family.
ぎりぎりの際で間に合った。
We made it at the very last moment.
試合の際で逆転ゴールを決め、優勝をつかんだ。
They scored a comeback goal at the critical moment and clinched the championship.
Refers to the very edge of something, both physical and temporal. In compounds, the reading often becomes ぎわ (voicing, rendaku).
COMMON COMPOUNDS (with ぎわ):
- 水際 — water's edge; border control measures
- 窓際 — by the window
- 瀬戸際 — brink, critical moment
- 間際 — just before, on the verge of
- 引き際 — time to withdraw, knowing when to quit
- 別れ際 — moment of parting
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 死の際 — the verge of death, deathbed
- 際どい — borderline, risky, risque
- 際立つ — to stand out, to be conspicuous
DIFFERENT READINGS OF 際:
- 際 — edge, verge (this entry)
- 際 — occasion, time when (different word, as in 国際, 実際)
Related Words
Related:
際 (same kanji, different reading)