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寸秒 (すんびょう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

寸すん秒びょう

す

ん

びょ

う

Meanings

1

noun

a moment; an instant

A very short span of time, literally 'a sun (寸) second'. Extremely rare and literary; not used in everyday speech. Modern equivalents include 一瞬 (いっしゅん) or 瞬間 (しゅんかん).

寸すん秒びょうを争あらそう事じ態たいだ。
It's a situation where every moment counts.

Kanji

寸measurement, tenth of a shaku, a little
秒second (1/60 minute)

Similar words

一いっ瞬しゅん
Common word for 'a moment' or 'an instant', used in everyday conversation. 寸秒 is a rare literary synonym.
瞬しゅん間かん
Standard noun for 'moment' or 'instant'. 寸秒 is far less common and carries a classical, measured nuance.

Etymology

Compound of 寸 (すん, a traditional unit of length about 3.03 cm, often used metaphorically for a very small amount) and 秒 (びょう, second). The combination suggests an extremely brief interval, but the exact historical derivation is uncertain.