Translation guide
Describes something full of danger or risk. In Japanese, this is commonly expressed with adjectives like 危険な (kiken na) or 危うい (ayaui), or through set phrases. The choice depends on formality and whether the danger is physical, moral, or situational.
The most common meaning: something that involves serious danger or risk.
When 'perilous' refers to a situation that could easily become disastrous, often due to instability.
Means 'unstable' or 'precarious'. Suitable for financial, political, or structural instability.
その会社の経営は不安定だ。
The company's management is in a perilous state.
危険な is the most common and neutral word for 'dangerous'. 危うい carries a nuance of being on the brink of disaster or narrowly avoiding it, and is often used in more dramatic or literary contexts.
Means 'dangerous' or 'critical', often implying a narrow escape or a precarious situation. Slightly more literary or dramatic than 危険な.
危ういところを助かった。
I was saved from a perilous situation.
彼の立場は危うい。
His position is perilous.
Describes a place or situation that feels unsafe, turbulent, or threatening. Often used for social unrest or a dangerous neighborhood.
この辺りは夜は物騒だ。
This area is perilous at night.
Literally 'life-risking'. Used for extremely perilous endeavors where one's life is at stake.
命がけの救助活動だった。
It was a perilous rescue operation.
A literary idiom meaning 'a candle flickering in the wind', i.e., a situation that is perilously close to collapse.
彼の命は風前の灯火だ。
His life is in a perilous state.