Meaning

Primary

Right Away

Alternatives

Immediately, Directly

Word Type

adverb

Explanation

If someone tells you to get straight to doing something, you ought to do it right away. Go on, chop-chop!

直ちに means to do something immediately, and it has a nuance of urgency — for example, a tsunami warning asking people to immediately evacuate their homes or your doctor telling you to contact them at once if you experience a certain symptom. However, it can also mean directly, like 失敗は直ちに死に繋がる (failure will lead directly to death).

Reading

ただちに
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This word uses a rare reading for that you haven't seen before, so here's a mnemonic to help you remember it:

Every time your boss asks you to do something right away, you do it and then yell "ta-da (ただ)!!" Imagine how annoying of an employee you must be, yelling "ta-da!" every time you finish a task. You get things done immediately, though, so no one can fire you — even if they probably want to.

Context

Pattern of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 直ちに中止する

    to immediately cancel

    直ちに行う

    to carry out right away

    直ちに停止する

    to immediately stop

    直ちに実施する

    to implement right away

    直ちにやめる

    to quit right away

    直ちに必要だ

    to be immediately necessary

Context Sentences

直ちに医者を呼んでください。

Call a doctor right away.

これは直ちに対応が必要ですね。

This requires immediate action.

問題が発生したら、直ちに報告してください。

If a problem occurs, please report it right away.

Kanji Composition