しばらく (shibaraku) Japanese meaning: for a moment | Kotomora

しばらく

し

ば

ら

く

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

しばらくする · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Meanings

for a moment; for a short while

usually written using kana alone

Indicates a brief duration, often used when asking someone to wait or when describing a short pause.

少すこしN5sense 1
少し means 'a little' referring to quantity or degree, while しばらく refers to a span of time, however short.
当とう分ぶんN2sense 3
当分 also means 'for the time being' but suggests a longer, more indefinite period and is more formal than しばらく.
ちょっとN5sense 1
ちょっと is a casual way to say 'a moment' or 'a little', while しばらく is slightly more formal and can also mean a longer stretch of time.
しばしN1
しばらく is the everyday word for 'a while', whereas しばし is a more literary and formal equivalent used mainly in writing or polite speech.

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数すう分ふん
数分 specifies a short span of about two to ten minutes, while しばらく is vaguer and can mean anywhere from a few minutes to a much longer stretch of time.
数すう時じ間かん
数時間 specifies a duration of roughly several hours, while しばらく is vaguer and can mean anywhere from a few minutes to a long stretch of time.
ひとときN1
しばらく simply means 'for a while' and focuses on duration, whereas ひととき often adds a poetic or nostalgic nuance to a short period.
久ひさしぶりN5
しばらく means 'for a while' or 'a short time', whereas 久しぶり emphasizes a long interval since the last occurrence.

しばしばN3
しばらく means 'for a while' (duration), whereas しばしば means 'often' (frequency); learners sometimes mix up the similar sounds.

しばらくUsage93%
Standard kana spelling. This is the normal written form.
暫しばらくUsage6%
Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing. The word is almost always written in kana.
暫しばらくUsage<1%
irregular okurigana
Irregular okurigana variant; very rare.
シバラクUsage<1%

The exact derivation is uncertain. The kanji 暫 is associated with the meaning 'for a while', and the word is conventionally written in kana.