Japanese word

ピンチ

Pronunciation

Romajipinchi

Meaning

  • nountough spot

Example

急な出費があり、今はピンチです。kyū na shup pi ga a ri ima wa pi n chi de su

I had an unexpected expense, so I am in a tough spot.

Illustration for ピンチ (tough spot)

More examples

みんなで力を合わせて、このピンチを乗り切ります。mi n na de chikara o a wa se te ko no pi n chi o no ri ki ri ma su

We will get through this tough spot by working together.

Core concept

Refers to a moment when pressing circumstances make it hard to manage a problem normally.

Common phrases

  • ピンチになるpi n chi ni na ru

    get into a tough spot

  • ピンチに陥るpi n chi ni ochii ru

    find oneself in a tough spot

  • ピンチに立たされるpi n chi ni ta ta sa re ru

    be put in a tough spot

  • ピンチを乗り切るpi n chi o no ri ki ru

    get through a tough spot

  • ピンチを切り抜けるpi n chi o ki ri nu ke ru

    make it out of a tough spot

Similar words

窮地kyūchi: A difficult position with few available ways to escape or recover.
苦境kukyō: A state of hardship caused by difficult circumstances.
危機kiki: A dangerous situation that threatens serious harm or failure.
難局nankyoku: A difficult situation that requires careful decisions to resolve.

Definition in Japanese

予想外の問題や出費などで、切り抜けるのが難しい苦境。yo sō gai no mon dai ya shup pi na do de ki ri nu ke ru no ga muzuka shi i ku kyō

Word origin

ピンチ (pinchi) is a Japanese loanword from English pinch, which can describe a tight squeeze and, in the phrase in a pinch, an emergency; Japanese uses it as a noun for a crisis.

Usage tips

  • In English, pinch appears in the fixed phrase in a pinch rather than usually standing alone for a crisis, while Japanese commonly uses ピンチ (pinchi) as a noun.

Other meanings

  • crisisnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word