Shunkan is a Japanese word for ‘moment’, explained

What does “shunkan” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use shunkan to mean a ‘moment’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’m explaining how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand shunkan more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “shunkan”
• Shunkan in kanji
  • How to say “moment” in Japanese
  • Another example of “shunkan”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “shunkan”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of shunkan.

• shunkan – 瞬間 (しゅんかん) : a noun used to mean a ‘moment’ in Japanese. This can also mean a ‘second’, ‘minute’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun normally to refer to a very short period of time in Japanese. So, the usage is similar to those of the English nouns written above.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Shunkan in kanji

The kanji expression of shunkan consists of the following two kanji characters:

• 瞬 : a kanji character occasionally used to refer to a blink in Japanese.
• 間 : a kanji character sometimes used to refer to a space or time between two or more things.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that shunkan can literally refer to a period of time between two blinks. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. A moment is often as short as two blinks or even shorter.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of shunkan through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of shunkan together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “moment” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after watashi to make the subject in the sentence.
• kono – この : a determiner used in front of a noun which refers to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used in front of atatakai shunkan to mean ‘this warm moment’ in Japanese.
• atatakai – 温かい (あたたかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘warm’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after kono atatakai shunkan to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, sukina, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of the Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after suki to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of shunkan. In this example, it works together with kono and atatakai to mean ‘this warm moment’ in Japanese.

Another example of “shunkan”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used in front of a noun which refers to something not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used in front of shunkan to mean ‘that moment’ in Japanese.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after kare to say with whom she fell in love.
• koi – 恋 (こい) : a noun meaning ‘love’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after koi to say where she fell with him.
• ochi – 落ち (おち) : one conjugation of the verb, ochiru, which means ‘to fall’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of the Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after ochi to make its past tense form, ochi ta.

This is another example of shunkan. In this example, it works together with ano to make an adverb phrase. When we want to refer to a very short period of time in Japanese, anyway, shunkan is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of shunkan in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• shunkan – 瞬間 (しゅんかん) : a noun used to mean a ‘moment’ in Japanese. This can also mean a ‘second’, ‘minute’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally refer to a period of time between two blinks. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. A moment is often as short as two blinks or even shorter.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.