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一旦 ittan
For now — we'll revisit.
What does ittan mean?
Officially once, temporarily. In offices it has become a soft pause button: let's go with this, no promises, we can undo it later.
Example
一旦、この案で進めてみよう。
For now, let's go ahead with this plan.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Safe to use Fine in ordinary conversation.
The story behind ittan
一旦 is a perfectly respectable adverb meaning once or for the time being, quietly promoted to one of the most useful words in a Japanese office. Its job is to decide without committing: we will go with this version, for now, and nothing is closed off.
That is procedure more than evasion. Decisions in Japanese workplaces often need to survive being carried back to a team, which is why the vocabulary of the provisional is so well developed. Younger speakers have taken it outside the office too, applying the same soft brackets to dinner plans and weekend arrangements. 一旦 ramen, then we will see what everybody feels like.
Get ittan in your pocket
一旦 is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
