境界・疆界|きょうかいkyoukai[0]heiban (flat)
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
- nounboundary; border; limit; bounds; frontier
- Synonym境目さかいめNeutralColloquial word for the point where two things meet or divide, as in 「生死の境目」; also used figuratively for a turning point.
- Synonym境さかいNeutralColloquial word for a border between areas, as in 「国の境」; more conversational than 「境界」.
- SynonymボーダーNeutralLoanword for a border, or for horizontal stripes, as in 「ボーダーのシャツ」.
- SynonymボーダーラインNeutralLoanword for a dividing line, especially a passing cutoff, as in 「合格のボーダーライン」.
- Synonym境界線きょうかいせんNeutralThe line that marks a boundary; used mostly for land and on maps, as in 「境界線を引く」.
- Synonym境域きょういきWrittenWritten, formal word for the bounds of a territory or a domain; rare.
- SynonymバウンダリーNeutralLoanword for a boundary; used mainly in psychology for personal boundaries, and uncommon in daily conversation.
- Synonym分界ぶんかいWrittenWritten, formal term for dividing things with a boundary; rare.
- RelatedリミットNeutralLoanword for a limit or maximum that must not be crossed, as in 「タイムリミット」; about ceilings and deadlines, not physical borders.
- Related限界げんかいNeutralThe utmost limit of ability or endurance, as in 「体力の限界」; about how far one can go, not a line between two areas.
- Related限りかぎりNeutralRead 「きり」, it means the end or limit of something, as in 「切りがない」; also written 「限り」. Unlike 「境界」, it is not a line between two things.
- Antonym内部ないぶNeutralThe inside of something; the opposite of 「境界」 as an outer edge.
- Antonym中央ちゅうおうNeutralThe center or middle; the opposite of 「境界」 as an outer edge.
Use 「境界」 for the line dividing land, domains or concepts; 「境界線」 names the line itself. In speech, 「境」 and 「境目」 are more colloquial. For the limits of ability say 「限界」, for a time limit 「リミット」, for a passing cutoff 「ボーダーライン」. 「バウンダリー」 is mostly psychology; 「ボーダー」 also means stripes; 「境域」 and 「分界」 are rare written words. Opposites: 「内部」, 「中央」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


