一時(いちじ)

一時(いちじ) is a versatile word with three distinct uses depending on context.

SENSE 1 — TEMPORARILY:

• 一時(いちじ)的(てき)な: temporary
• 一時(いちじ)停止(ていし): temporary stop, pause
• 一時(いちじ)帰国(きこく): temporary return home
• 一時(いちじ)預(あず)かり: temporary storage/custody

SENSE 2 — AT ONE TIME:

• 一時(いちじ)は: at one point, once (often followed by a contrasting statement)
• Example pattern: 一時(いちじ)は～が、今(いま)は～ (once it was ~, but now ~)

SENSE 3 — ONE O'CLOCK:
Simply the time 1:00. Used with 午前(ごぜん)/午後(ごご).

Watch out

The same two kanji also spell いっとき (a short while: いっときの気(き)の迷(まよ)い, a passing whim) and ひととき (a brief, usually pleasant moment, mostly written in kana). In the compounds above and for one o'clock, the reading is always いちじ.