間隔

• Reading: かんかく
• Romaji: kankaku
• Kanji breakdown: 間 (kan) — between, interval; 隔 (kaku) — separate, distant
• Pronunciation: /ka.n.ka.kɯ/

Meaning

Space; interval; gap. The distance or time between two points or events.

A noun describing either physical spacing or temporal intervals. Used for physical distance between objects (席の間隔 — space between seats) and time gaps (間隔を空ける — to leave an interval). Common in transportation, medicine (dosage intervals), and spatial planning contexts.

Examples

1. 電車の運行間隔は五分です。 My fingers went numb from the cold.
2. 木を植えるときは間隔を空けてください。 She has a very sharp sense of color.
3. 薬は四時間の間隔で飲んでください。 When I swam for the first time in a while, the feeling came back to me.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, spatial planning, medicine

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Composed of 間 (between, interval) and 隔 (separate, distant). Both kanji emphasize the idea of space or distance between things, creating a compound that precisely describes measured gaps.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal