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
一息
hitoiki
a breath, a pause, an effort
N1
一頃
hitokoro
once, some time ago
N1
一筋
hitosuji
a line, earnestly, blindly, straightforwardly
N2
一応
ichiou
tentatively, for the time being
N2
一段と
ichidanto
by far, greater
N2
一流
ichiryuu
first class, leading
N2
一昨年
issakunen
year before last
N2
一斉
issei
simultaneous, all at once
N2
一旦
ittan
once, for a moment