区切(くぎ)り

くぎり
noun
break; pause; punctuation; turning point
abstract
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(ぶん)の区切(くぎ)りに点(てん)を打(う)つ。
Place a punctuation mark at the break in the sentence.
話(はなし)の区切(くぎ)りがいい所(ところ)で休憩(きゅうけい)しよう。
Let's take a break at a good pause in the conversation.
単語(たんご)と単語(たんご)の区切(くぎ)りが分(わ)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(ひと)つ区切(くぎ)りをつけよう。
Let's wrap things up here.
卒業(そつぎょう)は人生(じんせい)の大(おお)きな区切(くぎ)りだ。
Graduation is a major turning point in life.
この仕事(しごと)に区切(くぎ)りがついたら、次(つぎ)のプロジェクトに取(と)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(くぎ)りをつける: to bring to a close, to wrap up
  • 区切(くぎ)りがいい: at a good stopping point
  • 区切(くぎ)りがつく: to reach a conclusion/stopping point
  • 一(ひと)つの区切(くぎ)り: a milestone, a turning point

Related verb

The verb 区切(くぎ)る means "to divide, to partition, to punctuate" and is the source of this noun form.

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 節目(ふしめ) (milestone, turning point)
Compare: 句読点(くとうてん) (punctuation marks)
Compare: 切(き)れ目(め) (break)
general
Added 2026.4.1 2:12 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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