1.
feeling awkward or reluctant to visit or approach someone
The traditional meaning: feeling unable to visit someone's home or establishment because of guilt, shame, or an unresolved debt. The "threshold" (敷居) feels too high to step over.
2.
intimidating; having a high barrier to entry; hard to approach
A newer, widely used meaning: describing a place, activity, or field that feels unapproachable or difficult to get into due to its exclusivity, formality, or perceived difficulty. Some prescriptivists consider this usage incorrect.
Literally "the threshold is high." 敷居 is the wooden threshold at the bottom of a sliding door in a traditional Japanese house. The image is that the threshold has become so high one cannot step over it.
Usage
Sense 1 is the traditional meaning taught in language tests and dictionaries. Sense 2 (intimidating, hard to approach) is now dominant in everyday speech, though some consider it a misuse. Both senses are widely understood.
Common collocations
- 敷居が高い店 — an intimidating shop
- 敷居が高く感じる — to feel it's hard to approach
- 敷居を下げる — to lower the barrier, to make more accessible
- 敷居をまたぐ — to cross the threshold