difference in grades; rank difference
Used in games like go or shogi to describe a difference in skill level or rank between players.
Since there is a rank difference between us, I received a handicap.
There's a step at the station entrance.
This road has many bumps, so please be careful when driving.
There is a small step at the entrance.
Through practice, he narrowed the rank gap with the top players.
I tripped over a bump in the sidewalk and fell.
Please watch out for the step ahead.
We removed the step at the entrance to make it barrier-free.
段差 is a small step or bump you might trip on, whereas 落差 emphasizes a dramatic drop in height, as with a waterfall or steep cliff.
段差 is a concrete noun for a physical height difference, while 段違い is usually an adjectival expression meaning 'vastly different in level' or refers to uneven bars in gymnastics.
Compound of 段 (dan, 'step, grade') and 差 (sa, 'difference').