僅きん々きん

き

ん

き

ん

Meanings

adverb, taru-adjective

Literary and somewhat old-fashioned adverb or taru-adjective meaning 'only' or 'merely'. Often used in written language or formal contexts. In modern speech, たった or ほんの are more common.

残のこされた時じ間かんは僅きん々きん数すう分ふんだった。
The remaining time was only a few minutes.
彼かれの財ざい産さんは僅きん々きんたるものだった。
His fortune was merely a trifling amount.

Usage patterns

僅々きんきん〈数かず〉ででin a mere (amount of time/quantity)
この橋はしは僅きん々きん三みっ日かで完かん成せいした。
This bridge was completed in a mere three days.
僅々きんきん〈数かず〉にすぎないにすぎないto amount to no more than (a small figure)
彼かれの収しゅう入にゅうは僅きん々きん数すう万まん円えんにすぎない。
His income amounts to no more than a few tens of thousands of yen.

Kanji

僅a wee bit

Related words

たったN3
たった is the common colloquial word for 'only/just', while 僅々 is a literary, old-fashioned adverb used mainly in formal writing.
ほんのN2
ほんの is a pre-noun modifier meaning 'a mere' used before nouns, whereas 僅々 is an adverb/taru-adjective used mainly in formal or written contexts to mean 'no more than'.
わずかN3
僅か is the everyday word for 'only a small amount', both as an adverb and na-adjective, while 僅々 is a rarer, more literary variant with the same root kanji.

Written forms

僅きん々きんUsage31%
Kanji form using 僅; rare and literary. The repetition mark 々 is used.
きんきんUsage69%
Kana spelling; more common in modern writing due to the rarity of the kanji.
僅きん僅きん
Alternate kanji form without the repetition mark; also rare.

Etymology

Reduplication of 僅 (きん, 'only, a little'), which is a kanji used in literary Chinese. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the form is used in classical Japanese and modern literary writing.