jat1 seon3 gaan1一瞬間一瞬间
Jyutpingjat1 seon3 gaan1
Yaleyāt seun gāan
Definition
An instant; a moment; an extremely short period of time.
neutraltime
How it's used
Focuses on the extreme brevity of an event, often implying that something happened so quickly it was almost imperceptible. It frequently appears in narrative contexts to describe a sudden realization or a rapid change in situation. While it functions as a noun, it is almost always used with a preposition like 喺 or 嗰 to anchor it to a specific point in time.
Examples
Do you think there is anything special about this moment?
Related words
Common phrases
in a moment
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe a duration of time that you are waiting for, such as 'wait a moment'. For that purpose, use 一陣 or 一陣間 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
