Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
ぎりぎり (girigiri) Japanese meaning: just barely | Kotomora
Report an issue with this page
I barely caught the train.
I submitted the report at the very last minute before the deadline.
This budget is at the absolute limit.
Usage patterns 〈 時とき 〉 にぎりぎり 間ま に 合あ う to barely make it in time for something
I barely made it in time for the train's departure.
ぎりぎりまで 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something right up until the last possible moment
I kept working right up until the deadline.
ぎりぎりで 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something by the narrowest of margins
I passed the exam by the narrowest margin.
ぎりぎりの 〈 物もの 〉 the bare minimum amount of something
We're living on a bare-minimum budget.
Kanji 限 limit, restrict, to best of ability Related words ぎりぎり is used broadly for time, limits, and abstract margins, while すれすれ often implies a narrow physical or spatial margin, like almost touching something.
かろうじて stresses the effort or struggle needed to barely achieve something, while ぎりぎり simply describes closeness to a limit without implying difficulty.
なんとか means 'somehow, by some means' and focuses on managing to accomplish something, whereas ぎりぎり focuses on the narrowness of the margin involved.
Written forms 限ぎ り 限ぎ り
Kanji spelling is rare and mainly used for stylistic effect; the word is usually written in kana.
ギリギリ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or in informal writing.
Etymology Onomatopoeic or mimetic word; the exact derivation is uncertain, but the reduplicated form suggests a sense of being at the extreme edge or limit.
