English–Japanese

“just before” in Japanese

Japanese

Also間際 (magiwa)

Pronunciation

Romajisunzen

Example

出発の寸前に電話が来ました。shup patsu no sun zen ni den wa ga ki ma shi ta

I got a call just before departure.

Illustration for 寸前 (just before)

How to say “just before” in Japanese

“Just before” in Japanese is 寸前 (sunzen).

Marks the point in time immediately before an event or the narrow boundary before a situation changes.

Full entry for 寸前: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 寸前

彼女は転ぶ寸前で手すりをつかみました。kano jo wa koro bu sun zen de te su ri o tsu ka mi ma shi ta

She grabbed the handrail just before falling.

Tips for using 寸前

  • In conversational Japanese, 寸前 (sunzen) commonly follows an event noun through の (no), as in 出発の寸前 (shuppatsu no sunzen), giving the expression a compact noun-based structure.

Other Japanese words for “just before”

試験の間際に勉強しました。shi ken no ma giwa ni ben kyō shi ma shi ta

I studied just before the exam.

“just before” in other languages