as soon as, the moment

Advanced

30-35 min

rare

Expert Reviewed

Explanation

Indicates immediate succession of actions.

[Verb dictionary form] + や否や

会うや否や、喧嘩が始まった。

Au ya inaya, kenka ga hajimatta.

The moment they met, a fight started.

座るや否や、眠ってしまった。

Suwaru ya inaya, nemutte shimatta.

As soon as I sat down, I fell asleep.

Very literary and formal.

～が早いか

as soon as, no sooner than

～そばから

as soon as, no sooner than (repeated action)

～ならいざ知らず

~ might be one thing, but; leaving ~ aside

～てやまない

earnestly wish/hope, never stop ~ing

～をものともせずに

not being daunted by ~, in spite of ~

～んがため(に)

in order to ~, for the purpose of ~ (formal/literary)

Found in literature and formal writing.

JLPTBooks Editorial Team

Japanese Language Education Specialists

Last updated: Jan 2

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