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とっさ Japanese meaning | Kotomora

とっさ

と

っ

さ

JLPTN2›Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

instant; moment; split second

usually written using kana alone

Refers to a very short moment, often used in adverbial phrases like とっさに (in an instant, reflexively) or とっさの (instantaneous, spur-of-the-moment).

See also: とっさに

とっさの判はん断だんでブレーキを踏ふんだ。

I hit the brakes in a split-second decision.

彼かれはとっさに嘘うそをついてしまった。

He reflexively told a lie in that instant.

Usage patterns

とっさに〈動どう詞し〉to do something instantly/reflexively without thinking
とっさに手てを伸のばして子こ供どもをつかんだ。
I instinctively reached out and grabbed the child.
とっさの判はん断だんa snap decision made in a split second
とっさの判はん断だんでハンドルを切きり、事じ故こを避さけた。
He made a split-second decision to turn the wheel and avoid the accident.
とっさに〈動どう詞し〉できないto be unable to react in time / to freeze up in a sudden moment
急きゅうに名な前まえを聞きかれて、とっさに答こたえられなかった。
When suddenly asked my name, I couldn't answer right away.

Kanji

咄exclamation of surprise, cry out (in anger), scold
嗟lament, grieve, sigh

Related words

瞬しゅん間かんN3
瞬間 is the general, neutral word for 'moment' or 'instant', while 咄嗟 specifically implies a sudden, reflexive reaction with no time to think.
一いっ瞬しゅんN3
一瞬 simply means 'a brief instant' in terms of duration, whereas 咄嗟 focuses on the unexpectedness that forces an instinctive response.
瞬しゅん時じ
瞬時 is a more formal, technical way to say 'an instant' (often in written or scientific contexts), while 咄嗟 carries a everyday, emotional sense of being caught off guard.

Don't confuse with

突とつ然ぜんN3
突然 is an adverb/adjective meaning 'suddenly, out of the blue' describing how an event occurs, while 咄嗟 is a noun describing the split-second moment of reflexive human reaction.

Word family

とっさにN1
instantly; immediately; on the spur of the moment

Written forms

とっさUsage73%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 咄嗟 is rare and may not be recognized by all readers.
咄とっ嗟さUsage27%
Kanji form is uncommon; learners should prefer the kana spelling.

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese word written 咄嗟. 咄 and 嗟 represent brief exclamations or tongue-clicking; from the idea of the moment needed to utter them, the compound developed the sense “instant” or “split second.”