connective N1 uncommon writtenliterary
〜なり — as soon as ~
〜なり ・ なり
Meaning
- as soon as ~ / the moment one ~ — a second, often unexpected action follows immediately
Key sentence
彼は家に着くなり、ベッドに倒れ込んだ。
The moment he got home, he collapsed onto the bed.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (dictionary form) | V-dict + なり | 見る → 見るなり、聞く → 聞くなり |
When: Literary — narrative prose. Describes a vivid, often surprising sequence of events.
Examples
母は手紙を読むなり、泣き出した。
The moment my mother read the letter, she burst into tears.
子供は私の顔を見るなり、逃げ出した。
As soon as the child saw my face, he ran away.
彼は席に着くなり、料理を注文した。
No sooner had he sat down than he ordered food.
When you can't use it
- Both clauses share one subject, and the second action is spontaneous and usually past — an observed reaction. It cannot end in a command, request, or the speaker's own intention (家に着くなり、寝なさい is wrong).
Easily confused with
や否や Both mean 'as soon as'. や否や neutrally reports two events in tight succession; なり adds that the same person's second action is immediate and often unexpected. 途端(に) 途端に stresses a sudden change at the very instant something happens (立った途端、めまいがした); なり stresses one person moving straight from the first action into the next.
Notes
- This is the temporal 'as soon as' なり. The same syllable also forms listing なり〜なり ('whether ~ or ~') and なりに ('in one's own way') — unrelated patterns with their own nodes.
See 〜なり in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜なり the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar. Editorial confidence: medium.