Japanese word

寸前

Pronunciation

Romajisunzen

Meaning

  • nounjust before

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)

More examples

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.

Core concept

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

Common phrases

  • 事故の寸前ji ko no sun zen

    on the verge of an accident

  • 完成の寸前kan sei no sun zen

    just before completion

Similar words

直前chokuzen: The moment directly preceding an event, action, or change.
間際magiwa: The last part of the time available before an event or deadline.
瀬戸際setogiwa: The point just before a situation changes in a serious or decisive way.

Definition in Japanese

ある事柄が起こる直前の時点。また、その事柄に至るぎりぎりの段階。a ru koto gara ga o ko ru choku zen no ji ten ma ta so no koto gara ni ita ru gi ri gi ri no dan kai

Word origin

寸前 (sunzen) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 寸 (sun, "a traditional unit of length") and 前 (zen, "before" or "in front"), suggesting a point a very short distance before something.

Usage tips

  • 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 meanings

  • on the verge ofnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word