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一寸

ちょっと

(ateji, usu. kana) a little; a moment; somewhat; hey (calling out); (as いっすん) one sun, about 3 cm

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 一寸待ってください。

    ちょっとまってください。

    Please wait a moment.

  2. 一寸の虫にも五分の魂。

    いっすんのむしにもごぶのたましい。

    Even a one-inch insect has a half-inch soul — even the weakest has its pride.

  3. その説明では一寸わかりにくいので、図にしていただけませんか。

    そのせつめいではちょっとわかりにくいので、ずにしていただけませんか。

    That explanation is a little hard to follow — could you put it in a diagram?

Common patterns

一寸した
a slight; a bit of a (a trifling ~)
一寸先は闇
you never know what a moment may bring
一寸だけ
just a little

Memory tip

Two different words share these kanji: everyday ちょっと is ateji and is almost always written in kana, while いっすん is the old unit of length that survives in proverbs. At N1 the kanji form mostly matters for reading set phrases like 一寸先は闇.

Kanji in this word

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What does 一寸 mean?