How do you say "barrier" in Japanese?

難関

nankan

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "barrier" is 難関 (nankan).

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

難関 is written using kanji. Romanised as nankan, it sounds roughly like "nah-n-kah-n" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Nankan uses difficult (難) and barrier/gate (関). It's often used metaphorically for challenges, though can describe physical barriers. Common in competitive and academic contexts.

Example sentence

新しい難関が設置されました。

Atarashii Nankan ga secchi saremashita.

A new barrier has been installed.

Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember 難関

Nan (難) looks complex with many strokes, suggesting difficulty. Kan (関) is like a gate or obstacle to pass through.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 難関

How do you pronounce 難関?

難関 is romanised as nankan. Say it roughly like "nah-n-kah-n" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 難関 formal or casual?

難関 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 難関 written in Japanese?

難関 is written using kanji. Nankan uses difficult (難) and barrier/gate (関).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Barrier" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR

The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town