際(きわ)

きわ
noun
edge; verge; brink; critical moment
See also: 際(さい) (occasion, when)
1. edge; border; verge
The very edge or boundary of something physical — the point where one thing ends and another begins.
水(みず)際(ぎわ)に立(た)つ。
Stand at the water's edge.
窓(まど)際(ぎわ)の席(せき)に座(すわ)った。
I sat in a seat by the window.
崖(がけ)の際(きわ)まで近(ちか)づくのは危険(きけん)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(きわ) or 土壇場(どたんば).
死(し)の際(きわ)に家族(かぞく)を呼(よ)んだ。
On the verge of death, they called for their family.
ぎりぎりの際(きわ)で間(ま)に合(あ)った。
We made it at the very last moment.
試合(しあい)の際(きわ)で逆転(ぎゃくてん)ゴールを決(き)め、優勝(ゆうしょう)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):

Common collocations

  • 死(し)の際(きわ) — the verge of death, deathbed
  • 際(きわ)どい — borderline, risky, risque
  • 際立(きわだ)つ — to stand out, to be conspicuous

DIFFERENT READINGS OF 際(きわ):

Related Words

Related: 際(さい) (same kanji, different reading)
general
Added 2026.3.25 19:14 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
19000/19355_kiwa