暫

A phono-semantic compound:

日 (sun; time) — semantic component

斬 (to cut) — phonetic component

The character combines time (日) with the idea of cutting or interrupting (斬), conveying the notion of time being “cut short.”

Thus, the original image is an interruption in the flow of time, which naturally developed into the meaning “briefly” or “for a moment.”

잠시 (暫時) — for a short time; briefly

잠깐 (暫間) — moment; short while

임시 중단 (暫停) — temporary suspension

당분간 멈추다 (暫止) — to stop temporarily

잠정적 조치 (暫定) — provisional measure

Related characters:

時 — time (broader concept)

間 — interval (duration-related)

頃 — around; about (temporal nuance)

斬 — to cut (phonetic source)

日 — sun; day (semantic root)

暫時 (잠시) and 暫間 (잠깐) are near-synonyms, but:

잠시 (for a moment) is more neutral and formal

잠깐 (for a moment) often feels more conversational

The nuance of 暫 is short duration with an expectation of change.

In other Sinosphere languages, 暫-related compounds may mean “for the time being” or “for now.”

暫 is also used as the character for Korea’s rare surname “Jam (잠)”.