紙 一 重(かみひとえ)の差(さ)

かみひとえのさ

expression

paper-thin difference; razor-thin margin

1. paper-thin difference; razor-thin margin; very slight gap

An extremely small difference between two things. Often used to describe the narrow gap between success and failure, genius and madness, or two closely matched competitors.

勝敗(しょうはい)は紙一重(かみひとえ)の差(さ)だった。

The difference between victory and defeat was paper-thin.

天才(てんさい)と狂気(きょうき)は紙一重(かみひとえ)の差(さ)だと言(い)われる。

They say the line between genius and madness is paper-thin.

合格(ごうかく)と不合格(ふごうかく)は紙一重(かみひとえ)の差(さ)で、あと一点(いってん)足(た)りなかった。

The gap between passing and failing was razor-thin — I was just one point short.

Literally 'the difference of a single layer of paper,' this expression vividly captures how thin the margin can be between two outcomes. The underlying word 紙一重(かみひとえ) (paper-thin) is the core metaphor and can also be used on its own as a noun.

Usage

Frequently appears in the pattern AとBは紙一重(かみひとえ)の差(さ) (the difference between A and B is paper-thin)
Classic pairings: 成功(せいこう)と失敗(しっぱい) (success and failure), 天才(てんさい)と狂気(きょうき) (genius and madness)

Common collocations

紙一重(かみひとえ)の差(さ)で勝(か)つ: to win by a hair's breadth
紙一重(かみひとえ)の差(さ)で負(ま)ける: to lose by a hair's breadth
紙一重(かみひとえ)の差(さ)で助(たす)かる: to narrowly escape

Similar words

僅差(きんさ): narrow margin — a neutral, factual term without the vivid imagery
際(きわ)どい: close; narrow — describes the closeness of a margin in a more colloquial way

Related Words

Compare: 僅差(きんさ) (narrow margin)

general

Added 2026.4.27 22:11 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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