暫時

Japanese JLPT N1 Vocabulary Japanese ★★ 2/5 formal ざんじzanji
Reading ざんじ
Romaji zanji
Kanji breakdown 暫 (zan) — temporary, brief; 時 (ji/toki) — time
Pronunciation /dzaɴ.dʑi/

Meaning

A short while; a brief moment; briefly; temporarily. A formal expression for a limited, short span of time.

A formal adverb or noun indicating a relatively short but not instantaneous duration. Considerably less common than しばらく in spoken Japanese, 暫時 carries a written, bureaucratic, or literary register. It often appears in official announcements, medical or academic writing, and classical-style prose to convey 'for the time being' or 'briefly'.

Examples

  1. 暫時お待ちいただけますか。 Could you please wait for a brief moment?
  2. 手術後、患者は暫時安静にする必要があった。 After the surgery, the patient needed to rest quietly for a short while.
  3. 議論は暫時中断され、休憩が取られた。 The discussion was temporarily suspended, and a break was taken.

Usage Guide

Context: formal writing, official documents, literary, medical

Tone: formal

Origin & History

From Classical Chinese. 暫 means 'temporary' or 'brief'; 時 means 'time'. Together they express a measured, limited duration — borrowed into Japanese through classical and official writing.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: Adults

Social background: Educated

Related Phrases

年度 Fiscal year; academic year; official year. A defined annual period used for administrative, educational, or financial purposes, often not aligned with the calendar year. 昭和 The Shōwa era; the imperial reign period of Emperor Hirohito, spanning 1926 to 1989. One of the longest and most historically eventful eras in Japanese history. 歴史的 Historic; historical. Describes something of great historical significance, or something related to history in general. 元号 Era name; the official name given to a reign period in the Japanese imperial system. Japan currently uses the era Reiwa, which began in 2019. 干支 The Chinese zodiac; the traditional sexagenary cycle combining the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches. Also used colloquially to refer to one's zodiac animal sign. 年号 Era name; Japanese era designation. An official name given to a reign period in the traditional Japanese calendar system. 年度末 End of the fiscal year or academic year; year-end in the Japanese administrative calendar. Typically refers to late March. 戦前 Pre-war; the period before a war. In Japanese, typically refers to Japan before World War II, particularly before 1937 or 1941.
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