How to say "verge" in Japanese

• 外れはずれCommon
  nounCovers the literal, spatial sense of 'verge': the edge or extremity of an area. Use it for physical locations, as in the outskirts or far end of a town or district, not for figurative critical moments.
  ゴールは町まちのはずれに向かい合むかいあうように置おかれていたのです。↗

  The goals were placed at the opposite ends of the town.
• 瀬戸際せとぎわCommon
  nounA figurative word for the brink of a decisive or critical moment, when something important will be won or lost or decided. Common in talk of negotiations, careers, or crises reaching a crucial turning point.
  のるかそるかの瀬戸際せとぎわまできた。↗

  The situation has come to the point where we either sink or swim.
• 機先きせんCommon
  nounRefers to the moment just before something happens, the verge of doing something. It emphasizes being on the point of acting or moving first, so it suits contexts of seizing an initiative rather than facing a crisis.
• 土俵際どひょうぎわCommon
  nounLiterally the edge of a sumo ring, used figuratively for the verge or brink of a critical, last-moment situation. It suggests a final struggle at the very last moment, often when backing someone into a corner or fighting to survive.

Use 瀬戸際 or 土俵際 for being on the brink of a decisive or critical moment, 機先 for being on the verge of doing something just before it happens, and 「外れ」 for the physical edge or extremity of a place.

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

• 外れはずれend
• 瀬戸際せとぎわbrink
• 機先きせんmoment just before something happens
• 際きわedge
• けらばedge of a gabled roof
• 土俵際どひょうぎわverge