period of separation; time living apart
Refers to a defined stretch of time during which a married couple or family members live separately, often in legal or formal contexts.
When the period of separation becomes long, talk of divorce tends to come up more easily.
The court considered the period of living apart when deciding custody.
別居 is the act or state of living separately, while 別居期間 specifies the length or period of that separation.
離婚 is divorce itself; 別居期間 is the separation period that may precede or influence divorce proceedings.
Compound of 別居 (living apart) and 期間 (period, term).