1.
one sun (approx. 3.03 cm); a tiny amount; a very short distance
一寸法師のお話を知っていますか。
Do you know the story of Issun-bōshi (the one-inch boy)?
一寸の虫にも五分の魂。
Even a tiny insect has a soul. (Even the weakest have their pride.)
一寸先は闇というように、未来のことは誰にも分からない。
As the saying goes, 'darkness lies an inch ahead' — nobody can know the future.
A traditional Japanese unit of length equal to approximately 3.03 centimeters (about 1.2 inches). Part of the 尺貫法 system of traditional measurement. Today mainly encountered in set phrases, proverbs, and cultural references.
FAMOUS PHRASES:
- 一寸法師: Issun-bōshi, the fairy tale of a boy only one sun tall (similar to Tom Thumb)
- 一寸の虫にも五分の魂: even a worm will turn (literally: even a one-sun insect has half a soul)
- 一寸先は闇: the future is unpredictable (literally: darkness lies one sun ahead)
READING NOTE:
The kanji 一寸 can also be read as ちょっと in casual writing, meaning "a little bit." Context determines the reading: in measurement or set phrases, it is いっすん; when used as an adverb meaning "a bit," it is ちょっと.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 寸: sun (the unit itself)
- 尺: shaku — a larger traditional unit (about 30.3 cm, or 10 sun)
- ちょっと: a little — the colloquial reading of the same kanji