境界
Meaning in Englishboundary
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
What does 境界 mean? It denotes a dividing line or limit that separates two spaces, domains, or concepts, signaling where one thing ends and another begins, and it can describe physical borders as well as abstract thresholds between states or categories.
Main meanings
- primary physical boundary or border separating places or territories
- metaphorical or conceptual boundary delineating scope, jurisdiction, or categories
- personal or social boundary indicating acceptable behavior
- threshold between states or conditions in philosophy or scientific discourse
How to use it
Used across geography, law, philosophy, psychology, and everyday speech to describe literal borders, jurisdictional limits, personal boundaries, or abstract thresholds; formal writing favors 境界 in law, science, and academic discourse, while casual speech uses the term when talking about personal space or boundaries.
Variants and close terms
- 国境 (kokkyō) – national border
- 境界線 (kyōkaisen) – boundary line
- 境目 (sakaime) – boundary, demarcation
- 境界性 (kyōkaisei) – boundary nature or liminal quality
Composition
- 境: boundary, border, vicinity
- 界: world, boundary, realm
Etymology
境界 is a Sino-Japanese compound: 境 (kyō) and 界 (kai) contribute the sense of border and realm, and the reading kyōkai arises from combining their on'yomi. This reflects how the term encodes a crossing or dividing line between realms.
Word class
noun (名詞)