疎遠

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: In 疎遠 (そえん), sparse 疎 and distant 遠 combine to denote estrangement.
• Basic usage: 疎遠に marks a relationship becoming distant through reduced contact, while 疎遠だった predicates that past state.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Relational rather than physical distance
  • The focus is social relation rather than physical distance between places.