一瞬
Meaning in Englishan instant, a moment
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
What does 一瞬 mean? It denotes a very brief period of time—a single moment. It emphasizes fleetingness or rapid change, often used to describe something that happens suddenly and then vanishes.
Main meanings
- The primary sense is a single, very brief moment in time.
- Used to describe fleeting impressions, quick flashes of perception, or sudden changes.
- In fixed phrases such as 一瞬で and 一瞬の, it signals something occurring in an instant or momentarily.
How to use it
Used to denote a fleeting moment in both spoken and written Japanese; commonly used with 一瞬で or 一瞬の to describe actions or events that happen in an instant; 彼は一瞬の隙をついた, 一瞬で状況が変わった
Variants and close terms
- 瞬間 (shunkan) — moment
- 一時 (ichiji) — for a while; momentary duration
- すぐに (sugu ni) — immediately, right away
Composition
- 一: number meaning 'one'
- 瞬: 'moment' or 'instant'; conveys fleeting duration
- Combined meaning: a single, very brief moment
Etymology
isshun originates from the kanji compound where 瞬 (shun) conveys the idea of a brief moment and 一 (ichi) marks a single unit of time; the reading combines the on'yomi elements into a single pronounced term. The phonetic blending follows standard Sino-Japanese compounding, yielding the current pronunciation.
Word class
noun (名詞)