寸前
Meanings
1
just before; on the verge of; on the brink of
Used as a suffix after nouns or verb stems to indicate an imminent event or state. Often appears in dramatic or urgent contexts.
It started raining just before departure.
He turned around a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy.
2
just in front of; just ahead of
Less common spatial use; typically found in literary or descriptive writing. In modern speech, 直前 or 目の前 are more natural for physical location.
The car stopped just before the traffic light.
Usage patterns
- 〈動詞〉寸前on the verge of doing/happening (attaches to a verb's plain form)
I jumped in just before the train door closed.
- 寸前で〈動詞〉to do something at the very last moment (often averting disaster)
He had a change of heart at the very last moment.
- 〈事〉寸前までright up until the point of some critical event
The company hung on right up until the brink of bankruptcy.