Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 の 難なん 関かん を 突とっ 破ぱ する to break through a difficult barrier (in a process, exam, etc.)
He broke through the tough hurdle of the entrance exam.
難なん 関かん を 乗の り 越こ える to overcome a difficult barrier
After overcoming many difficulties, she finally cleared the hurdle.
〈 人ひと 〉 が 難なん 関かん に 挑ちょう む for someone to take on a difficult challenge
He took on the difficult challenge of the bar exam.
難なん 関かん を 控ひか える to have a difficult hurdle ahead
I have an important hurdle coming up next month.
Kanji 難 difficult, impossible, trouble 関 connection, barrier, gateway Related words· 8 障害 is a general obstacle or impediment in any context, while 難関 specifically denotes a tough hurdle that must be cleared, often in exams or competitions.
壁 is a literal wall used metaphorically for any barrier, whereas 難関 is a more formal term specifically for institutional or competitive hurdles.
ハードル is a casual, borrowed word for a hurdle or challenge, while 難関 sounds more formal and is typical in writing about exams or negotiations.
困難 describes difficulty or hardship in a broad sense, while 難関 points to a specific, identifiable barrier that must be passed.
Show 4 more Show fewer 難関 stresses that the barrier is genuinely hard to pass, whereas 関門 can be a neutral checkpoint and only feels like 難関 in its figurative 'hurdle' sense.
難関 describes a difficult barrier or hurdle one must overcome (e.g. an exam or negotiation), whereas 難問 refers to the hard question or problem itself.
難関 refers to a difficult barrier or hurdle to overcome (like an exam), while 難題 refers more broadly to a difficult problem or demand.
難関 refers to a difficult barrier or hurdle to overcome (like an exam), while 難局 refers to an ongoing difficult state of affairs.
Don't confuse with 関門 originally means a checkpoint or gate and is often used interchangeably with 難関 , but 関門 can also refer to a literal physical gate, whereas 難関 is always figurative.
難点 refers to a specific flaw or problematic point in something, while 難関 refers to an overall barrier or stage that is hard to get past.
難関 (a difficult barrier or obstacle, as in 難関大学 ) shares the kanji 難 and a similar sound with 難解 , but refers to a hard challenge to overcome rather than something hard to understand.
難関 is a noun for a specific difficult hurdle or barrier (like an exam), while 難航 is a verbal noun describing an ongoing process getting bogged down.
Word family highly selective university; elite university
hard-to-get-into school; elite school; highly-selective school
highly selective university; elite university; hard-to-enter university
overcoming a difficulty; breaking through a barrier; clearing a hurdle
Etymology Compound of 難 (difficult) and 関 (barrier, checkpoint). The meaning 'difficult barrier' is transparent from its components.
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