30721
I am writing [a flashcards deck](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/972722792) to
memorize [Minato-ku's list of 防災-related
words](https://www.city.minato.tokyo.jp/eiyakudb/category_04_01.html).  
Excerpt:

```

    一時集合場所  いっときしゅうごうばしょ  Temporary meeting places
    一時滞在施設  いちじたいざいしせつ　　  Temporary stay facilities
    
```

As you see, one says 一時 as いっとき and the other one as いちじ.

This is an official document, so I don't think it is a case of " _use the one
you like it is exactly the same_ ". Other official documents mark the exact
same difference, for instance here is the yellow 東京防災 book sent to all
families in Tokyo:

[![東京防災](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYMuS.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYMuS.png)

So, what is the nuance difference between いっとき and いちじ ?  
Real-life examples appreciated, references would be wonderful.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-22T06:34:47.893
30614
2017-06-28T12:11:55.587
2016-04-22T19:12:01.077
1628
107
question
words nuances readings time
Nuance between いっとき and いちじ as a pronunciation of 一時
(Turning my own comment above into an answer. There will, however, be no
references provided as OP requests. Everything I state here comes directly
from my head as an average native Japanese-speaker.)

First off, I would like to make it clear that this is **_not_** a question of
**nuance**. This is a question of what I might call the " ** _practical and
intentional reading/pronunciation alterations_** ".

Not too many native J-speakers would feel that the reading of 「一時」 in
「[一時集合場所]{いっときしゅうごうばしょ}」 sounds natural. The far more natural reading of that
part would indeed be 「いちじ」. So, why would some towns and districts employ the
"funny" 「いっとき」 reading in their official publications?

That should be to artificially make a distinction between 「一 **時** 集合場所」
("temporary meeting place") and 「 **一次** 集合場所」 (primary meeting place) or more
precisely, 「[一次避難場所]{いちじひなんばしょ}」 ("primary shelter").

By intentionally reading 「一時」 and 「一次」 differently, one is supposedly less
likely to confuse the words above in times of emergency. Since the places
described by these terms concern people's safety and sometimes even lives, the
local government would want to make sure that we understand the differences
among the places.

These practical and intentional reading/pronunciation alterations are nothing
new to us.

Take the words 「市立」 ("municipal") and 「私立」 ("private") for example, the
"dictionary" reading is 「しりつ」 for **_both_**. When we talk about schools,
however, "municipal" and "private" can make huge differences. To avoid the
confusion, we often alter our readings of those words. We would often read
「市立」 as 「いちりつ」, and 「私立」 as 「わたくしりつ」.

Another "famous" pair is 「科学」 (science) and 「化学」 (chemistry). The official
reading is 「かがく」 for both, but we quite often read 「化学」 as 「ばけがく」 so that the
listeners will know exactly which one you are talking about.

Again, **_nuance_** has nothing to do with it in the two pairs of words above,
either.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-26T01:59:35.433
30721
2017-06-28T12:11:55.587
2017-06-28T12:11:55.587
30614
answer
As a nuance, 一時（いちじ) means tentative or temporary, like:

>   * [一時的]{いちじてき}[措置]{そち} - tentative measure
>   * 一時[立替]{たてかえ} - temporary financing
>   * 一時的[避難]{ひなん} - temporary evacuation
>

一時（いっとき）means momentary or transient, like:

>   * [一時]{いっとき}の[憩]{いこ}い - a short break  
>
>   * [訊]{き}くは[一時]{いっとき}の恥、訊かぬは一生の恥 - It's a momentary shame for you to ask a
> question, but it remains a life-long shame for you not to ask a question.
>

However, to force residents to read 一時集合場所 いっときしゅうごうばしょ is felt not only an
absurd bureaucratic triviality but also a farfetched abuse of the word to me.
It sounds really odd and ugly.

If you show the word indicating "一時集合場所" to your Japanese friends, I bet nine
out of ten of them would read it "いちじしゅうごうばしょ," and that's why Tokyo officials
had to awkwardly add 振り仮名.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-24T01:38:15.940
33756
2016-04-25T09:00:13.453
2016-04-25T09:00:13.453
9831
12056
30614
answer