Japanese word

瞬間

Pronunciation

Romajishunkan

Meaning

  • nounmoment

Example

電気を消した瞬間、部屋が暗くなりました。den ki o ke shi ta shun kan heya ga kura ku na ri ma shi ta

The room became dark the moment I turned off the light.

Illustration for 瞬間 (moment)

More examples

大切な瞬間を写真に残しました。tai setsu na shun kan o sha shin ni noko shi ma shi ta

I captured an important moment in a photograph.

Core concept

A brief slice of time in which something happens or changes.

Common phrases

  • 次の瞬間tsugi no shun kan

    the next moment

  • その瞬間so no shun kan

    that moment

Similar words

一瞬isshun: A very short period of time, often lasting only a second.
瞬時shunji: A very short time in which something happens almost immediately.

Definition in Japanese

物事が起こる、または変化するごく短い時間。mono goto ga o ko ru ma ta wa hen ka su ru go ku mijika i ji kan

Word origin

瞬間 (shunkan) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 瞬 (shun, "blink") and 間 (kan, "interval"), expressing the short interval of a blink.

Usage tips

  • The pattern "the moment" in English matches the time meaning of 瞬間 (shunkan) when one event happens immediately after another.

Related words

  • 瞬間的shunkantekiinstantaneousna-adjective

Word lists with this word