Word
一瞬
Meaning in Englishan instant, a moment
Animated kanji stroke order
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)
Related words by kanji and components
N1
一括
ikkatsu
all together, batch
N1
一気
ikki
at one push, in one gulp
N1
一挙に
ikkyoni
at a stroke, with a single swoop
N1
一見
ikken
a look, a glimpse, glance; first meeting
N1
一切
issai
without exception, the whole
N1
一心
isshin
one mind, with rapt attention
N1
一変
ippen
complete change
N1
単一
tanitsu
single, simple, sole
N1
瞬き
mabataki
wink, twinkling (of stars), flicker (of light)