also: かんぱつおかず
expression
immediately; instantly; without a moment's delay
Colloquial expression meaning an action follows another with virtually no gap in time. Often used in spoken or informal written Japanese.
See also: 間髪を入れず
彼は質問を聞くや、間髪おかず答えを返した。
As soon as he heard the question, he answered immediately.
間髪おかずに反論が飛んできた。
A counterargument came flying back without a moment's delay.
Irregular kana reading; sometimes encountered but non-standard.
More formal and literary equivalent; 間髪おかず is the colloquial version.
Derived from the phrase 間髪を入れず (kanhatsu o irezu), literally 'without putting a hair's breadth in between', with the verb 置く (oku) replacing 入れる (ireru) in the colloquial form.