How to say "narrowly" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- adverbCovers narrowly managing to do or maintain something at the very limit of one's ability, with an overtone of strain or difficulty: barely surviving, barely passing, barely holding together.
- 危うくあやうくadverbThe word for narrowly escaping or avoiding something bad: a danger almost materialized and was missed by a hair. Use it for narrowly avoiding harm, not for barely achieving a goal.
- adverbNarrowly achieving something desired after effort or a wait, with a strong feeling of relief: just barely making it in time, finally getting it done. The relief is the point.娘はやっと１５歳です。↗My daughter is barely fifteen.
- adverbLike やっと, but it pictures an outcome reached only after a long stretch of time or effort, or a level barely attained: things finally, and only just, worked out.
- no-adjective, na-adjectiveDescribes a result or amount that sits right on the line, clearing or missing it by a slim margin: just under the limit, just barely passing. The image is of grazing the edge.
Use 「かろうじて」, 「やっと」 and 「ようやく」 for barely managing something — with strain, relief, or after a long process — 「危うく」 for narrowly escaping danger, and 「すれすれ」 for results right at the limit.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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