敷居

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 敷居(しきい) is a noun for the threshold at the base of a doorway.
• Basic usage: It refers to the physical threshold and also appears in expressions for a psychological barrier to visiting a place.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A threshold and psychological distance
  • 敷居につまずく describes tripping over a threshold. 敷居が高く感じる is used for feeling uncomfortable about entering the shop again.
• Context supplies the reason for hesitation
  • 一度断られてから identifies what prompted the hesitation in the example. Do not replace that context with a claim about high prices or a physically high entrance.