1.
break; pause; division; punctuation
A point where something is divided or separated, such as a pause in speech, a section break in text, or a dividing point between parts of something.
文の区切りに点を打つ。
Place a punctuation mark at the break in the sentence.
話の区切りがいい所で休憩しよう。
Let's take a break at a good pause in the conversation.
単語と単語の区切りが分かりにくい。
It's hard to tell where the breaks between words are.
2.
turning point; milestone; closure
A significant point marking the end of one phase and the beginning of another. Often used when wrapping up a project or reaching a natural stopping point.
ここで一つ区切りをつけよう。
Let's wrap things up here.
卒業は人生の大きな区切りだ。
Graduation is a major turning point in life.
この仕事に区切りがついたら、次のプロジェクトに取りかかる。
Once I wrap up this work, I'll start on the next project.
A versatile word with two related senses. In sense 1, it refers to literal breaks, divisions, or pauses — in text, speech, or physical arrangement. In sense 2, it means a turning point or milestone, often implying closure before moving on.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 区切りをつける: to bring to a close, to wrap up
- 区切りがいい: at a good stopping point
- 区切りがつく: to reach a conclusion/stopping point
- 一つの区切り: a milestone, a turning point
RELATED VERB:
The verb 区切る means "to divide, to partition, to punctuate" and is the source of this noun form.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 節目: milestone, turning point — emphasizes a significant juncture in time or life
- 句読点: punctuation marks — specifically refers to written punctuation (。and 、)