suddenly; all at once; rapidly
Describes a sudden, often noticeable change or occurrence. Somewhat literary or formal in tone.
When autumn comes, it suddenly becomes cool.
His condition rapidly worsened.
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 頓に is rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
Rare kanji form; the kana spelling is strongly preferred in modern usage.
Derived from the classical Japanese adjective 頓し (とみし), meaning 'sudden' or 'abrupt'. The adverbial form とみに has survived into modern Japanese as a somewhat literary expression.