忽ち
Immediately, Quickly, Suddenly, In a moment or flash
Structure
Explanation
たちまち is an adverb used to express that something occurs instantaneously, or 'in the blink of an eye'. The main nuance that distinguishes たちまち from similar adverbs is its emphasis on an event happening spontaneously, beyond anyone's control.
Frequently, たちまち is used to describe something rapidly transitioning into a new, continuous state, or to show that something was finished very quickly.
たちまち is almost always positioned immediately before the verb or adjective phrase it is modifying, which describes the resulting new condition.
- その新しいゲームは発売されると、たちまち売り切れた。Once that new game was released, it sold out in no time.
- 道の真ん中でパフォーマンスが始まると、たちまち人だかりができた。When the performance started in the middle of the street, a crowd formed in an instant.
- 母が作ったケーキはたちまちなくなった。The cake my mom made was gone in a flash.
Fun-fact
The word たちまち originates from the kanji 忽ち. This character itself carries the meaning of 'sudden' or 'unexpected'. This nuance is carried over into the modern usage of たちまち, as the actions it describes feel unplanned and spontaneous. However, writing it with kanji is uncommon in contemporary Japanese.
Examples
そのスマートフォンは発売されると、忽ち大人気となった。
When that smartphone was released, it instantly became a huge hit.
晴れていたのに、忽ち空が暗くなってきた。
Even though it was sunny, the sky suddenly started to get dark.
おもちゃを取り上げたら、赤ちゃんは忽ち泣き出した。
When I took the toy away, the baby immediately burst into tears.
食卓に並べたケーキは、忽ちみんなに食べられてしまった。
The cake I put out on the table was eaten up by everyone in a flash.
彼女の手にかかれば、どんな難問も忽ち解決する。
In her hands, any difficult problem gets solved in an instant.
その新しいSNSアプリは、忽ち若者の間で話題になった。
That new social media app quickly became the talk of the town among young people.
乾燥した森では小さな火が忽ち大火事になる危険がある。
In a dry forest, there's a danger that a small fire can quickly turn into a huge blaze.
先生が教室を出た途端、忽ちうるさくなった。
The moment the teacher left the classroom, it immediately became noisy.
マジシャンが指をならすと、ハトが忽ち消えてしまった。
When the magician snapped his fingers, the dove suddenly disappeared.
新しい税金が導入され、ガソリンの価格は忽ち上がった。
A new tax was introduced, and the price of gasoline immediately went up.
彼は普段は無口だが、お酒を飲むと忽ちおしゃべりになる。
He's usually quiet, but once he has a drink, he instantly becomes talkative.
映画のロケ地になったことで、その静かな町は忽ち観光地になった。
By becoming a filming location for a movie, that quiet town quickly turned into a tourist spot.