境遇|きょうぐうkyouguu[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounone's circumstances; environment; situation (in life)
   そのような境遇きょうぐうであったにもかかわらず、彼かれは自分じぶん一人ひとりで道みちを切り開きりひらいた。↗

   Although he was in such circumstances, he made his way by himself.

• Synonym身の上みのうえNeutralCovers a person's history and lot in life, as in 「身の上話」; it stresses one's life story, while 「境遇」 stresses the surroundings one lives in.
• Synonym身分みぶんNeutralMeans one's identity or social standing, as in 「身分証明書」 and 「身分の違い」; 「境遇」 refers to the environment one is placed in.
• Related状況じょうきょうNeutralDescribes objective conditions or a state of affairs, not limited to a person; 「境遇」 is about the personal circumstances surrounding someone.
• Related立場たちばNeutralPoints to the position or standpoint one occupies, stressing status or angle of view rather than one's life surroundings.
• Related事態じたいWrittenA written-style word for how a situation has turned out, as in 「緊急事態」; it concerns unfolding affairs, not one's circumstances.
• Related運命うんめいNeutralMeans fate or destiny, the course events are bound to take; 「境遇」 is the environment one happens to be placed in.
• Related運うんNeutralEveryday word for luck, good or bad, as in 「運がいい」; common in speech, it is about chance rather than one's circumstances.
• Related宿命しゅくめいWrittenA written-style word for a fate fixed before birth that cannot be changed; it carries that fatalistic nuance, unlike 「境遇」.
• Related暮らし向きくらしむきNeutralRefers to how a household lives, its finances and daily standard, as in 「暮らし向きが良い」; narrower than 「境遇」.
• Related状態じょうたいNeutralThe broadest word for a state or condition of things; it does not specifically refer to one's lot in life.
• Related回り合わせまわりあわせNeutralRefers to luck or the chance meetings life brings, as in 「不思議な回り合わせ」; it points to serendipity, not to one's overall circumstances.
• Related巡り合わせめぐりあわせNeutralMeans a coincidence brought by fate; it is a synonym of 「回り合わせ」 and speaks of chance, not of the environment one lives in.

Use 「境遇」 for the circumstances and surroundings of a person's life, as in 「恵まれない境遇」. For one's life story say 「身の上」, for chance or serendipity 「巡り合わせ」, for objective conditions 「状況」, for fate 「運命」, for a household's finances 「暮らし向き」, and for social standing 「身分」.

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

1. 社会しゃかい生活せいかつの上うえで、その人ひとを取り巻とりまく周囲しゅういの事情じじょう。