Translation guide
Expresses a small difference, slim victory, or barely meeting a threshold. Japanese uses various nouns, adverbs, and set phrases depending on whether the margin is in a competition, measurement, or abstract situation.
Describing a win or loss by a very small amount, often in sports or contests.
A noun meaning 'narrow margin' or 'close difference', commonly used in competitive contexts. Often paired with .
We won by a narrow margin.
We lost the game by a slim margin.
A noun meaning 'narrow victory' or 'hard-fought win'. More formal and often used in news reports.
The team won by a narrow margin.
A noun meaning 'narrow defeat' or 'regrettable loss'. Used when the loss was close and disappointing.
We suffered a narrow defeat in the finals.
Literally 'victory on thin ice', a dramatic expression for a very narrow win.
It was a victory by the narrowest of margins.
Expressing that something just barely passed a limit, such as time, quantity, or qualification.
An adverb meaning 'barely' or 'just barely'. Very common in daily speech for time, space, or limits.
I barely caught the train.
An adverb meaning 'barely' or 'narrowly', often used in slightly more formal or written contexts.
A suffix-like noun meaning 'barely' or 'just above/below', often attached to nouns indicating a limit.
Describing a tiny gap in numbers, measurements, or abstract qualities.
A common phrase meaning 'slight difference' or 'narrow margin'. わずか means 'slight' or 'few'.
I lost by a narrow margin.
Literally 'one sheet of paper', meaning a very fine distinction or hair's breadth difference.
A formal noun meaning 'slight difference', used in technical or statistical contexts.
The scores of the two were separated by a narrow margin.
Both mean 'barely', but ぎりぎり is more colloquial and often used for physical limits (time, space). かろうじて is slightly more formal and can be used for abstract achievements.
Just barely safe!
He narrowly escaped with his life.
We traveled on a shoestring budget.
I passed by a narrow margin.
締め切りすれすれに提出した。
I submitted it just before the deadline.
Success and failure are separated by a narrow margin.