危うい

• Reading: あやうい
• Romaji: ayaui
• Kanji breakdown: 危 (ki/aya) — danger, precarious
• Pronunciation: /a.ja.ɯ.i/

Meaning

Dangerous; precarious; on the verge of; barely safe. Describes a situation teetering on the edge of disaster or something that narrowly occurred.

An i-adjective with two related senses: (1) physically or situationally precarious (a tightrope walk, a shaky ceasefire), and (2) something that almost happened, typically in the adverbial phrase 危うく〜するところだった (I narrowly avoided doing...). The adverbial form 危うく is extremely common in both spoken and written Japanese.

Examples

1. 危うく電車に乗り遅れるところだった。 I narrowly avoided missing the train.
2. 彼の立場は社内での評判が落ちて、今やかなり危うい状況だ。 His standing within the company has become quite precarious since his reputation took a hit.
3. 危うい外交交渉が続いているが、双方に妥協の兆しが見えてきた。 Delicate diplomatic negotiations are continuing, but signs of compromise have begun to appear on both sides.

Usage Guide

Context: crisis, politics, daily life, literature

Tone: urgent

Origin & History

From classical Japanese 危 (aya — precariousness, peril) with the archaic adjective suffix うい. Related to 危険 (kiken — danger). The classical form 危し is preserved in modern 危うい.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical-Modern

Generation: Adult

Social background: General