1.
just now, a moment ago
Indicates something that happened very recently, within the past few minutes.
今しがた届いたばかりです。
It just arrived a moment ago.
今しがた田中さんから電話がありました。
Mr. Tanaka just called a moment ago.
今しがた出て行ったところです。
They just left a moment ago.
今しがた聞いた話なんですが。
This is something I just heard a moment ago.
ETYMOLOGY: 今 (now) + しがた (form of する indicating recent past)
TIME FRAME: Refers to the very recent past—typically within the last few minutes, not hours.
REGISTER: Slightly formal. Common in:
- Business communication
- Polite conversation
- News reporting
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- たった今: "just now" (very common, neutral)
- さっき: "a while ago" (casual, slightly longer timeframe)
- 先ほど: "earlier" (polite, formal)
- ついさっき: "just a moment ago" (casual emphasis)
VS. さっき:
- 今しがた: more immediate (seconds to minutes)
- さっき: can be minutes to an hour or so
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 今しがた + past tense: describes recent action
- 今しがた〜ばかり: emphasizes recentness
NOTE: More commonly used in spoken polite Japanese than in very casual conversation.