〜なり (nari)

JLPT N1 The instant ~.

Meaning

“The moment ~ / as soon as ~.” Immediately after X, Y happens — often something surprising. Literary.

Formation

Verb (dictionary) + なり

Examples

彼は部屋に入るなり、大声で叫んだ。

Kare wa heya ni hairu nari, ōgoe de sakenda. — The instant he entered the room, he shouted.

子どもは母親の顔を見るなり、泣き出した。

Kodomo wa hahaoya no kao o miru nari, nakidashita. — The moment the child saw its mother's face, it burst into tears.

彼女は手紙を読むなり、部屋を出て行った。

Kanojo wa tegami o yomu nari, heya o dete itta. — As soon as she read the letter, she left the room.

How it works

The second action follows instantly, and the subject of both clauses is the same person. It's literary and usually describes someone's surprising behavior.

The dictionary form is used before なり, even though the sentence is about the past.

Compared with similar expressions

• 〜なり — “the instant ~,” same subject, literary, surprising

• 〜や否や — “as soon as ~,” literary, neutral

• 〜たとたん — “the moment ~,” sudden, often uncontrolled result

Common mistakes

• Use the dictionary form: 見るなり (not 見たなり — that means “left as is after seeing”).

• Both clauses must share the same subject.

Related grammar

• 〜や否や — as soon as ~

• 〜たとたん — the moment ~

• 〜が早いか — no sooner than ~