right beside; close to; nearby
Describes a location very close to a reference point; often used with に or の.
駅のすぐそばにコンビニがある。
There is a convenience store right beside the station.
彼は私のすぐそばに立っていた。
He was standing close to me.
There's a convenience store right beside the station.
彼女はいつも私のすぐそばにいてくれた。
She was always right there beside me.
Construction is going on right nearby, so the noise bothers me.
隣 specifically means 'next to' or 'adjacent to' something, whereas すぐそば can describe being very close without necessarily touching or being directly next to it.
傍ら is a more literary word for 'beside' or 'at one's side', while すぐそば is the everyday, spoken equivalent.
遠く means 'far away', the direct opposite of すぐそば, which means 'right beside' or 'very close'.
Kanji spelling using 側; less common than kana but still encountered.
Rare mixed kanji-kana spelling; 直ぐ is an uncommon rendering of すぐ.
Rare full-kanji spelling; both 直ぐ and 側 are unusual for this word.
Compound of すぐ (immediately, directly) and そば (side, vicinity). The kanji 側 is sometimes used for そば, but kana is standard.