How to say "instant" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 一瞬いっしゅんnoun, adverbThe fleeting-instant sense: something that happens or is felt in a blink — hesitating for a moment, an image flashing through the mind. Very often it works adverbially, 'for an instant'.
- 瞬間しゅんかんnounThe plain noun for a moment or instant, usually a specific one you can point to: 'at that instant,' 'the moment when everything changed.' Also covers 'second' as a very short stretch of time.
- na-adjective, nounThe loanword for the product sense of 'instant' — ready-made food or drink. Not the word for a brief moment in time; for that meaning use 一瞬 or 瞬間.
- 瞬時しゅんじno-adjectiveAnother noun for a brief instant, with the flavor of 'in a flash' or 'a split second' — it emphasizes sheer speed. Close in meaning to 一瞬 and 瞬間.
- 刹那せつなnoun, adverbA moment or instant, but with a literary, philosophical flavor — the fleetingness of a single moment. Seldom the everyday word for 'in an instant'; choose it when you want that poetic nuance.
Use 一瞬 or 瞬間 for a brief moment in time, 瞬時 to stress 'in a flash', 刹那 for a literary, philosophical instant, and 「インスタント」 only for the ready-made product sense, never for time.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 一瞬いっしゅんinstant
- 瞬間しゅんかんmoment
- インスタントinstant
- 瞬時しゅんじinstant
- 刹那せつなmoment
- 即座そくざimmediate
- とっさmoment
- モーメントmoment (of time)
- 露の間つゆのまinstant
- ノーウェイトinstant (e.g. for display speed of text in computer games)
- てきめんimmediate (effect, result, etc.)
- 須臾しゅゆmoment
- 一瞬間いっしゅんかんmoment
- 瞬刻しゅんこくmoment
- 電光石火でんこうせっかflash
- 一弾指いちだんしbrief moment
- コンマ秒コンマびょうsplit second
- 即席そくせきinstant (e.g. ramen)
- はずみmoment
- 秒速びょうそくinstant
- ミニッツinstant
- 弾指だんしmoment
See also
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