How to say "proximity" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • 近接きんせつCommon
    noun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe word for proximity as a state: nearness, being nearby, or being adjacent. Use it when you need to name that closeness itself, for example in describing how close one thing is to another.
  • そばJLPT N5approx.Common
    nounUsually written in kana, this is really about location, not proximity as such: the place near by or right next to something, its side. Use it to say where something is, not to name nearness.
    あの窓まどのそばの机つくえは使つかうな。↗
    Don't use the desk by that window.

Use 近接 for proximity as an abstract state — nearness or adjacency between things — and 「そば」 for the concrete place beside someone or something: 「そば」 says where something is rather than naming the nearness.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents
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JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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