峠|とうげtouge[3]odaka (tail-high)

1. noun, noun (suffix)(mountain) pass; highest point on a mountain road; ridge
   私達わたしたちが峠とうげにさしかかる頃ころに雨あめになった。↗

   It began to rain as we came near the pass.
2. nounpeak (e.g. of summer); worst (e.g. of an illness); crisis; critical point; most difficult part

• RelatedピークNeutralA loanword for peaks and peak periods, mostly with data; 「峠」 is the harshest stage of a crisis, and only 「峠を越す」 says it has been passed.
• Related切通しきりどおしNeutralA road or railway cut through hilly terrain, stressing the artificial excavation; 「峠」 is the highest point of a road crossing a mountain.
• Related山場やまばNeutralThe climax of a story or a critical moment; 「峠」 stresses the hardest stage to get through, as in 「峠を越す」.
• Antonym麓ふもとNeutralThe foot of a mountain — the opposite of 「峠」, the highest point of a mountain road.

Use 「峠」 for the highest point of a mountain road or the hardest stage of an illness or crisis, as in 「峠を越す」. For data peaks say 「ピーク」; for the climax of a story, 「山場」; for the foot of a mountain, 「麓」.

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

1. とうげ。山道さんどうの頂上ちょうじょう部ぶ。
2. （語義ごぎ1より）物事ものごと、特とくに危機的ききてきな状況じょうきょうで、最もっともはなはだしい状態じょうたい。ピーク。クライマックス。