Translation guide
The English word "threshold" has several distinct meanings, from a physical doorway strip to a figurative point of entry or limit. This guide organizes the most useful Japanese equivalents by meaning, with notes on natural usage.
The strip of wood, metal, or stone at the bottom of a doorway.
The most common word for the threshold of a Japanese-style room or entrance. Refers specifically to the grooved wooden beam at the bottom of a sliding door frame.
Please be careful when stepping over the threshold.
Refers to the raised wooden step or threshold at the entrance of a traditional Japanese house, where you step up from the genkan (entryway) into the interior.
I sat on the threshold and took off my shoes.
A more descriptive phrase meaning 'doorway threshold'. Used when you need to be explicit, but 敷居 alone is usually sufficient.
The threshold of the doorway is a little raised.
The point at which something starts or enters a new state, often used figuratively.
Literally 'entrance', but often used figuratively for the threshold of a new experience or stage. Natural in many contexts.
University is the threshold to society.
Literally 'doorway', used figuratively for the beginning or threshold of something. Slightly literary.
Means 'brink' or 'critical moment', often used for a decisive threshold between two outcomes. Stronger nuance than 'beginning'.
The point or level (e.g., of pain, income, sound) at which a reaction or change occurs.
The standard technical term for 'threshold' in science, medicine, and statistics. Also used in everyday contexts like pain threshold.
The pain threshold varies from person to person.
This medicine has the effect of lowering the blood pressure threshold.
Means 'limit' or 'boundary'. Often used when threshold implies a maximum tolerance or capacity.
Alternative writing of 閾値 using the common kanji 敷居 (threshold) + 値 (value). Less formal but understood.
The beginning or verge of a significant change, often used in formal or literary contexts.
A common phrase meaning 'to stand at the threshold of ~'. Natural for both literal and figurative uses.
Humanity is standing on the threshold of the space age.
Literally 'the raising of the curtain', meaning the beginning or threshold of a new era or event. Often used in news or formal speech.
Means 'dawn', used figuratively for the threshold of a new age. Very literary.
敷居 (shikii) is the grooved wooden beam at the bottom of a sliding door, while 上がり框 (agarigamachi) is the raised step at the entrance of a house. Use 敷居 for most door thresholds; use 上がり框 specifically for the step up from the genkan.
Although 敷居 means physical threshold, it is not used figuratively for limits or beginnings. For abstract thresholds, use 閾値 (ikichi) for technical limits, or 入り口 (iriguchi) for entry points.
He stood on the threshold of the room.
The company is on the threshold of bankruptcy.
My pain threshold is low.
He is standing on the threshold of success.
交渉は決裂の瀬戸際にある。
Negotiations are on the threshold of breaking down.
騒音が我慢の限界を超えた。
The noise exceeded my threshold of tolerance.
Loanword from English 'borderline'. Used for a dividing line or threshold, especially in grading or eligibility.
The threshold for passing is 70 points.
音のしきい値を測定する。
Measure the sound threshold.
It was a discovery that heralded the threshold of a new era.
それはコンピューター時代の黎明だった。
That was the threshold of the computer age.