When used as a 副詞(ふくし),
一応(いちおう) can often carry the nuance of (A) not being perfect or ideal, but the minimum required in order to satisfy some requirement. This ‘requirement’ is frequently related to the time or amount of something. When used this way,
一応(いちおう) may be interpreted as ‘more or less, (A)’, ‘for the time being, (A)’, or ‘tentatively (A)’.
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一応(いちおう)私(わたし)が店長(てんちょう)ですが、どうかなされましたか。
I am more or less the manager. Did something happen?
今日(きょう)は一応(いちおう)ここまでにしておきましょう。
For the time being, let’s call it a day for today.
周(まわ)りの人(ひと)たちが立(た)ち始(はじ)めたので、僕(ぼく)も一応(いちおう)立(た)った。
People around me started to stand up, so tentatively, I also stood up.
This use of
一応(いちおう) is in contrast to the other common use of
一応(いちおう), which can be translated as ‘just in case’, or ‘just to be sure’. In these cases, the speaker is usually indicating that (A) is being done in order to avoid or prevent (B). However, in both of its uses, it simply indicates that (A) is the minimum amount which is fulfilling some requirement.
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今夜(こんや)は寒(さむ)くなるかも知(し)れないから、一応(いちおう)ジャケットかなんか持(も)ってきな。
Why don’t you take a jacket or something, just in case, since it might get cold tonight.
一応(いちおう)言(い)っておくけど私(わたし)は踊(おど)るのが下手(へた)だからね。
Just to be sure, I want to let you know that I am not a good dancer.