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たちまち (tachimachi) Japanese meaning: in an instant | Kotomora

たちまち

た

ち

ま

ち

Common word›JLPTN2›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

in an instant; immediately; right away

usually written using kana alone

Describes something happening very quickly, often with a sense of 'before you know it'. Common in both spoken and written Japanese.

彼かれは

質しつ

問もん

を

聞き

く

と

たちまち

答こた

え

た

。

He answered the question immediately after hearing it.

雨あめが降ふり出だすと、通とおりはたちまち水みず浸びたしになった。

As soon as it started raining, the street was instantly flooded.

2

suddenly; all of a sudden

usually written using kana alone

Emphasizes an abrupt, unexpected change. Often used when a situation transforms dramatically in a short time.

空そらがたちまち暗くらくなり、雷かみなりが鳴なり始はじめた。
The sky suddenly grew dark and thunder began to rumble.

Usage patterns

たちまち〈物もの〉が売うり切きれるfor something to sell out in an instant
このパンはたちまち売うり切きれた。
This bread sold out in no time.
たちまち〈事こと〉が広ひろがるfor news or a rumor to spread quickly
そのニュースはたちまち町まち中じゅうに広ひろがった。
The news spread through the whole town in an instant.
たちまち〈事こと〉になるto suddenly turn into (a state or situation)
彼かれはたちまち有ゆう名めい人じんになった。
He suddenly became a celebrity.

Kanji

忽in a moment, instantly, all of a sudden

Related words· 6

すぐにN5sense 1
すぐに is a general word for 'right away' usable in commands or requests, while たちまち is descriptive and implies a natural, rapid unfolding of events.
急きゅうにN4sense 2
急に stresses the unexpectedness of a sudden change, while たちまち can describe swiftness that isn't necessarily surprising.
瞬またたく間まに sense 1
瞬く間に is a vivid literary phrase meaning 'in the blink of an eye', slightly more emphatic than the everyday たちまち.
突とつ然ぜんN3sense 2
突然 highlights the abruptness of an event without any warning, whereas たちまち can also describe a quick but expected progression.

Show 2 more

いっぺんにN3
たちまち stresses the suddenness of a change happening 'in a flash', while 一遍に often focuses on something happening abruptly and completely.
みるみるN1
たちまち means 'instantly, all of a sudden' and can describe a single quick event, while みるみる specifically emphasizes watching a gradual-but-fast visible process unfold.

Written forms

たちまちUsage93%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 忽ち is rare and literary.
忽たちまちUsage7%
Kanji form is uncommon and mainly found in older or literary texts.
タチマチUsage<1%

Etymology

Derived from classical Japanese. The kanji 忽 is used for its meaning of 'sudden' or 'instant', but the word is now predominantly written in kana.