突然（とつぜん、totsuzen）
- suddenly

The Japanese word 突然 (とつぜん) means "suddenly," "abruptly," or "unexpectedly." It describes something that happens without warning or any prior indication. It emphasizes the suddenness and lack of preparation involved in an event or action.

⚫︎ 突然、雨が降り出した。 Translation: It suddenly started raining. ⚫︎ 彼突然］、怒り出した。 Translation: He suddenly got angry. ⚫︎ 道で突然］、友達に会った。 Translation: I suddenly met my friend on the street.

⚫︎ 突然 is used to describe events or actions that occur unexpectedly. ⚫︎ It can modify verbs, describing how something happened, or nouns, describing something that came about unexpectedly. ⚫︎ It’s important to use 突然 when highlighting the element of surprise or the lack of warning. ⚫︎ It is often used in the past tense to describe something that already happened unexpectedly, but can also be used in the present tense or with future expressions to suggest that something *will* happen unexpectedly. ⚫︎ 突然 can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, depending on the emphasis desired.

⚫︎ 突然 is typically written with the kanji 突然. ⚫︎ The reading is とつぜん. ⚫︎ There are no common variations in the okurigana (the suffix hiragana).

⚫︎ 急に (きゅうに): Suddenly, abruptly ⚫︎ 思いがけなく (おもいがけなく): Unexpectedly ⚫︎ 不意に (ふいに): Suddenly, unexpectedly ⚫︎ 俄かに (にわかに): Suddenly (more formal)

⚫︎ 徐々に (じょじょに): Gradually, slowly ⚫︎ ゆっくり (ゆっくり): Slowly, at a leisurely pace

突然］、停電になった。 ・Translation: The power went out suddenly. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the unexpected occurrence of a power outage.

彼女は突然］、泣き出した。 ・Translation: She suddenly burst into tears. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses that someone began crying without prior warning.

The word 突然 is composed of two kanji: ⚫︎ 突 (totsu) meaning "sudden," "abrupt," or "to pierce." ⚫︎ 然 (zen) meaning "like that," "so," or "indeed." The combination suggests something that occurs "suddenly" or "just like that," implying an unexpected and immediate action or event.