Grammar › Timing & Sequence
たとたん(に) — “the moment that…, just as…”
Says a second event happened immediately, almost instantly, right after the first
Past plain verb + とたん(に) says the moment the first action finished, a second (often surprising, sudden) event happened right away — “the instant X happened, Y happened.” It emphasizes suddenness more strongly than plain と or たら.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Past plain + とたん(に) | ドアを開けたとたん、猫が飛び出した — The moment I opened the door, the cat darted out |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 立ち上がったとたん、めまいがした。 | たちあがったとたん、めまいがした。 tachiagattatotan、memaigashita。 | The moment I stood up, I got dizzy. |
| 家に着いたとたん、雨が降り出した。 | いえについたとたん、あめがふりだした。 ienitsuitatotan、amegafuridashita。 | The moment I got home, it started to rain. |
| 彼の顔を見たとたん、名前を思い出した。 | かれのかおをみたとたん、なまえをおもいだした。 karenokaowomitatotan、namaewoomoidashita。 | The instant I saw his face, I remembered his name. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
とたん needs the second event to be sudden and essentially instantaneous — for a more general “when/after” sequence without that surprise element, たら or たとき is the more natural choice.