Japanese

かんいっぱつ
Meaning: by a hair's breadth, just in time, narrow escape
Part of Speech: Noun, Four-character idiom, Adverb

Listen to pronunciation

Handwriting

間
一
髪

Example sentences

I had a narrow escape from an accident at the railroad crossing.
無謀な投資に手を出しそうになったが、間一髪で懸崖勒馬した。
He was about to make a reckless investment, but pulled back just in time at the edge of disaster.

Usage Notes

A four-character idiom (yojijukugo) meaning that a situation was extremely close, with only the width of a single hair as a gap.

Sottaku

About Sottaku

Sottaku is an app for learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian with a strong focus on SRS. It includes automatic flashcard creation for hundreds of thousands of words, grammar breakdowns in example sentences, language-specific study packs where available, adaptive quizzes, mobile apps, a browser extension, and community features. Give it a try now! All learning content is free with no limits on flashcards or study time.

Sottaku is built to match the habits of successful learners. By using Sottaku, you will naturally learn in the most efficient way possible, as proven by countless success stories in the language learning community.

Free Forever

Access all grammar guides, quizzes, and flashcards without paying a cent. Quality education should be accessible to everyone.

Smart SRS System

Our flashcard system uses the FSRS algorithm (also used in Anki) to optimize your review schedule and maximize retention.

Comprehensive Content

From hanzi, kana, hangul, and European vocabulary basics to grammar and reading practice where available, we have lessons for every level. Practice with quizzes tailored to your skill.

Community Chat

Ask level-appropriate questions and get help from the community. Learn together with fellow learners across all 8 supported languages.