also: かんはつ
immediately; instantly; without a moment's delay
Abbreviation of the phrase 間髪を入れず (かんはつをいれず). Used adverbially to mean 'right away' or 'in the blink of an eye'. Often seen in written or formal contexts.
See also: 間髪を入れず (かんはつをいれず)
He answered the question without a moment's delay.
A rebuttal came back instantly.
Standard kanji spelling for the abbreviation of 間髪を入れず.
Alternate reading; かんぱつ is more common.
Abbreviation of the idiomatic phrase 間髪を入れず, literally 'without putting a hair's breadth in between'. The kanji 間 (interval) and 髪 (hair) combine to suggest an extremely small gap.