English–Japanese
“instant” in Japanese
How to say “instant” in Japanese
“Instant” in Japanese is とっさ (tossa).
It presents time as nearly absent between an unexpected stimulus and the reaction it produces.
Example sentences with とっさ
危険を感じた彼は、とっさにブレーキを踏みました。ki ken o kan ji ta kare wa to ssa ni bu rē ki o fu mi ma shi ta
When he sensed danger, he instinctively hit the brakes.
Tips for using とっさ
- とっさ (tossa) can describe a mental choice as well as a physical reaction, which makes it useful when a response happens before conscious planning.
Other Japanese words for “instant”
その刹那、時計が止まりました。so no setsu na tokei ga to ma ri ma shi ta
At that instant, the clock stopped.
その機械は瞬時に答えを出しました。so no ki kai wa shun ji ni kota e o da shi ma shi ta
The machine gave the answer in an instant.
これはインスタントのコーヒーです。ko re wa i n su ta n to no kō hī de su
This is instant coffee.