狭間はざま

は

ざ

ま

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

interval; space between; gap

Refers to a narrow space or interval between two things, often with a nuance of being caught in between. Common in phrases like ～の狭間で.

Refers to a narrow valley or gorge between mountains. Often used in place names.

Historical/architectural term for a narrow opening in a castle wall for shooting arrows or guns.

diagonal gap (Go); move in a diagonal gap

usually written using kana alonego (game)

Go term for the space between two stones placed diagonally, or a move played into that space. Usually written in katakana as ハザマ.

〈事こと〉と〈事こと〉の狭はざ間までcaught between two conflicting things (ideals, feelings, situations)
理り想そうと現げん実じつの狭間はざまで悩なやんでいる。
I'm torn between my ideals and reality.
〈場ば所しょ〉と〈場ば所しょ〉の狭はざ間まにnestled in the narrow valley between two places
村むらは山やまと山やまの狭間はざまにひっそりと存そん在ざいしていた。
The village lay quietly nestled in the valley between the mountains.
狭はざ間まから〈物もの〉を放はなつto shoot something (an arrow, etc.) through a castle loophole
兵へい士したちは狭間はざまから矢やを放はなった。
The soldiers fired arrows through the loopholes in the wall.

隙すき間まN2sense 1
隙間 refers to a physical crack or small opening, while 狭間 often describes a more abstract or spatial interval between two larger things or forces.
谷たに間ま sense 2
谷間 is the common everyday word for a valley, whereas 狭間 in this sense is more literary and often appears in place names.

谷たに間ま
狭間 means a narrow gap between two things (often abstract, like a border between eras), while 谷間 more specifically evokes a valley shape or a dip/trough, so learners can mix them up in figurative use.

狭間Usage58%
- はざま
  Standard kanji spelling for most senses.
- はさま
  out-dated reading
はざまUsage39%
間Usage2%
rarely-used kanji form
- はざま
  Rarely used kanji form; easily confused with other readings.
- はさま
  out-dated reading
迫間Usage1%
rarely-used kanji form
- はざま
  Rarely used kanji form.
- はさま
  out-dated reading
はさま
out-dated reading

An old native noun, formerly はさま, for a narrow space between things or mountains. Voicing produced modern はざま; 狭間 and 迫間 are conventional spellings.