区切り (くぎり, kugiri) Japanese meaning: pause

区切り (くぎり, kugiri) Japanese meaning: pause | Kotomora

Kanji

区ward, district
切cut, cutoff, be sharp
句phrase, clause, sentence

Related words

節ふし目め sense 2
節目 emphasizes a turning point or milestone in a longer process, while 区切り is the more general word for any pause, break, or stopping point.
切きれ目めN1sense 1
切れ目 usually refers to a physical gap or cut, while 区切り is more abstract and often intentional, like a planned pause or division.
句く読とう点てんN2sense 1
句読点 refers specifically to punctuation marks like periods and commas, while 区切り is the broader concept of a break or pause that such marks create.
一いち段だん落らくN1
区切り is a general word for a break or dividing point in anything, while 一段落 specifically describes work or a situation calming down to a manageable pause.

Opposites

連れん続ぞくN3sense 1
連続 means an unbroken continuation with no pauses, the opposite of 区切り, which marks a break or division in something.

Don't confuse with

仕し切きり
仕切り means a partition or dividing something (like a room or business deal), while 区切り is a pause, break, or milestone in speech, writing, or a process.
区く間かんN1
区間 is a continuous stretch or segment itself, while 区切り is the break or demarcation point that divides something into segments.
途と切ぎれ
区切り refers to a boundary or dividing point marking sections, while 途切れ specifically means an unwanted interruption or gap in something continuous.

Word family· 7

Written forms

区く切ぎりUsage98%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
くぎりUsage1%
句く切ぎりUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 区切り is preferred.
区く切ぎりUsage<1%

Etymology

The noun of 句切る, originally “to place a break in a phrase or sentence,” from 句, “phrase,” and 切る, “cut.” The spelling 区切り later extended the word to divisions generally.

区く切ぎり

Meanings

Usage patterns