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時間. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
時間, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
時間 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
時間 you have here. The definition of the word
時間 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
時間, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
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o'clock; time; when o'clock; time; when; hour; season; period
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interstice; separate; between interstice; separate; between; among; space; (measure word)
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trad. (時間)
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時
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間
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simp. (时间)
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时
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间
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Etymology
For the modern sense of “time” (as opposed to “space”), reborrowed from Japanese 時間 (jikan, “time”).
Pronunciation
Rime
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Character
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時
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間
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間
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Reading #
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1/1
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1/2
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2/2
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Initial (聲)
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常 (25)
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見 (28)
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見 (28)
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Final (韻)
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之 (19)
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山 (73)
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山 (73)
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Tone (調)
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Level (Ø)
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Level (Ø)
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Departing (H)
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Openness (開合)
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Open
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Open
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Open
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Division (等)
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III
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II
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II
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Fanqie
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市之切
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古閑切
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古莧切
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Baxter
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dzyi
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kean
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keanH
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Reconstructions
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Zhengzhang Shangfang
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/d͡ʑɨ/
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/kˠɛn/
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/kˠɛnH/
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Pan Wuyun
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/d͡ʑɨ/
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/kᵚæn/
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/kᵚænH/
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Shao Rongfen
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/d͡ʑie/
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/kæn/
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/kænH/
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Edwin Pulleyblank
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/d͡ʑɨ/
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/kəɨn/
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/kəɨnH/
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Li Rong
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/ʑiə/
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/kɛn/
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/kɛnH/
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Wang Li
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/ʑĭə/
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/kæn/
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/kænH/
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Bernard Karlgren
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/ʑi/
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/kăn/
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/kănH/
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Expected Mandarin Reflex
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chí
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jiān
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jiàn
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Expected Cantonese Reflex
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si4
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gaan1
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gaan3
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Noun
時間
- (uncountable) time (the inevitable passing of events from future to present then past)
- 愛惜時間/爱惜时间 ― àixī shíjiān ― to treasure time
- 浪費時間/浪费时间 ― làngfèi shíjiān ― to waste time
- 打發時間/打发时间 ― dǎfa shíjiān ― to kill time
- 合理支配時間/合理支配时间 ― hélǐ zhīpèi shíjiān ― to manage time reasonably; reasonable time management
- 時間不等人。/时间不等人。 ― Shíjiān bù děngrén. ― Time waits for no one.
- 時間催人老。/时间催人老。 ― Shíjiān cuī rén lǎo. ― Time ages us.
- 時間還來得及。/时间还来得及。 ― Shíjiān hái láidejí. ― All in good time.
- 抓緊時間!/抓紧时间! ― Zhuājǐn shíjiān! ― Get a move on!
- (countable) time (a measurement of a quantity of time; a numerical indication of a length of time) (Classifier: 段 m)
- 辦公時間/办公时间 ― bàngōng shíjiān ― office hours
我們還有多少時間呢? [MSC, trad.]
我们还有多少时间呢? [MSC, simp.]- Wǒmen hái yǒu duōshao shíjiān ne?
- How much time do we have left?
別在他身上浪費時間了。 [MSC, trad.]
别在他身上浪费时间了。 [MSC, simp.]- Bié zài tā shēnshàng làngfèi shíjiān le.
- Don't waste time on him.
地球自轉一周的時間是23小時56分4秒。 [MSC, trad.]
地球自转一周的时间是23小时56分4秒。 [MSC, simp.]- Dìqiú zìzhuàn yī zhōu de shíjiān shì 23 xiǎoshí 56 fēn 4 miǎo.
- The time taken for the Earth to make one rotation is 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds.
- a point in time
現在的時間是一點零五分。 [MSC, trad.]
现在的时间是一点零五分。 [MSC, simp.]- Xiànzài de shíjiān shì yīdiǎn líng wǔ fēn.
- The time now is five minutes past one.
- (uncountable) free time; leisure; spare time
不知您是否有時間。 [MSC, trad.]
不知您是否有时间。 [MSC, simp.]- Bùzhī nín shìfǒu yǒu shíjiān.
- I wonder if you might have time.
我想約你明天一起去吃飯,不知道你有沒有時間。 [MSC, trad.]
我想约你明天一起去吃饭,不知道你有没有时间。 [MSC, simp.]- Wǒ xiǎng yuē nǐ míngtiān yīqǐ qù chīfàn, bù zhīdào nǐ yǒu méiyǒu shíjiān.
- I'd like to invite you out to have a meal tomorrow, if you have time.
Synonyms
- (time): 年數/年数 (niánshù), 年代 (niándài), (archaic) 年紀/年纪 (niánjì), 時候/时候 (shíhou), (Hokkien, Teochew) 時陣/时阵 (sî-chūn), (Wu) 辰光 (zen kuaan (T3))
- (free time):
Coordinate terms
- 空間/空间 (kōngjiān, “space”)
Derived terms
Further reading
Japanese
Etymology 1
Probably originally borrowed from Middle Chinese compound 時間 (dzyi kɛn, literally “time interval”). Repurposed in the early Meiji period as a translation of the western term time in relation to philosophy in the 1881 publication of 哲学字彙 (Tetsugaku Jii, “Philosophy Dictionary”) compiled by Inoue Tetsujirō. The meaning "hour" can be analyzed as a compound of 時 (-ji, “o'clock”) + 間 (-kan, time interval suffix). Compare other terms formed with the suffix 間 (-kan) like 三分間 (sanpunkan) and 三日間 (mikkakan).
The reading is a mix of the goon reading ji and the kan'on reading kan, suggesting either that the reading changed after borrowing (from the expected goon pronunciation of jiken or the expected kan'on pronunciation of shikan), or that this term was independently coined in Japanese after the constituent terms 時 (ji) and 間 (kan) were borrowed.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Noun
時間 • (jikan)
- time
- 時間はありますか?
- Jikan wa arimasu ka?
- Do you have any time?
- 時間はいつでも大丈夫です。
- Jikan wa itsu de mo daijōbu desu.
- Any time works for me.
- (literally, “As for time, whenever is fine.”)
- もうこんな時間!
- Mō konna jikan!
- My, will you look at the time!
- (literally, “ already this sort of time!”)
- 時間にルーズ
- jikan ni rūzu
- never on time
- (literally, “lax about time”)
- 時間と空間の関係
- jikan to kūkan no kankei
- the relationship between time and space
- hour
- 1時間は 60分です。
- Ichi-jikan wa rokujippun desu.
- One hour is 60 minutes.
- the hours or time when something happens
- 試験時間に遅れた
- shiken jikan ni okureta
- was late for the exam
- (literally, “late to the time of the exam”)
- 営業時間は月火水、午前 9時から午後 2時までです。
- Eigyō jikan wa getsu-ka-sui, gozen ku-ji kara gogo ni-ji made desu.
- Business hours are Monday to Wednesday, 9 AM to 2 PM.
- 開館時間
- kaikan jikan
- hours of operation
- 時間です!
- Jikan desu!
- Time's up!
- (literally, “It's time!”)
- 閉園の時間です!
- Heien no jikan desu!
- We're closing now!
- (literally, “It's time for our closing!”)
- あまり時間がなくてすみません
- amari jikan ga nakute sumimasen
- sorry for not having the time
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- 目覚めの時間だ
- Mezame no jikan da
- It’s time to wake up
Usage notes
The more general word for time, as in "when something happens", is 時 (toki).
- 海辺に行った時
- umibe ni itta toki
- the time I went to the beach, when I went to the beach
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
See also
Counter
時間 • (-jikan)
- an hour-long period
- 一時間、二時間、五時間半
- ichi-jikan, ni-jikan, go-jikan han
- one hour, two hours, five and a half hours
- 何時間もかかりそうです。
- Nan-jikan mo kakari sō desu.
- Apparently it will take many hours.
See also
Etymology 2
Pronunciation shift to a devoiced initial consonant in certain dialects.
/d͡ʑikaɴ/ → /t͡ɕikaɴ/
Pronunciation
Noun
時間 • (chikan)
- (dialect, Ibaraki) time
- (dialect, Ibaraki) hour
- (dialect, Ibaraki) the hours or time when something happens
Counter
時間 • (-chikan)
- (dialect, Ibaraki) an hour-long period
References
- Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
Korean
Noun
時間 • (sigan) (hangeul 시간)
- Hanja form? of 시간 (“time, an hour or hours”).
Vietnamese
Noun
時間
- chữ Hán form of thời gian (“time”).