Skip to content
Kotomora

秒

second (1/60 minute)

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · grade 3FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • ビョウ

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

秒 centers on a tiny unit of time: the second, as a precise 1/60th of a minute. The idea is a very small, fine-grained measurement.

Most common words using 秒

20 of 29

Explore all words using 秒 →

Study

Etymology

秒 combines 禾 (grain) with 少 (few/little), suggesting the tiny awn or tip of a grain, which came to mean a very small unit of time.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 禾 is a grain plant, and the right side 少 means 'few' or 'little'. Picture a tiny grain of rice falling, marking just one second—a very small unit of time.

Reading mnemonic

For ビョウ, imagine a tiny grain of rice falling every second, and you say 'byou' as it drops—like the English word 'by' stretched into 'byou'.