1.
suddenly, all of a sudden, without warning
Describes something happening abruptly and unexpectedly. A formal, written-style adverb often found in news reports, novels, and formal speech.
突如として雨が降り出した。
Rain suddenly began to fall.
会議中に突如停電が起きた。
A power outage occurred suddenly during the meeting.
彼は突如姿を消し、その後誰も連絡が取れなくなった。
He suddenly disappeared, and after that no one could reach him.
USAGE:
突如 is more formal and literary than 突然 (suddenly). It often appears with the particle として as 突如として, which adds a slightly more dramatic tone. In casual speech, 突然 or いきなり are preferred.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 突如として: suddenly (emphatic form)
- 突如現れる: to appear suddenly
- 突如姿を消す: to vanish suddenly
- 突如発生する: to break out suddenly
SIMILAR WORDS:
突然 is the standard, all-purpose word for "suddenly" used in both speech and writing. いきなり is casual and emphasizes abruptness. 突如 is the most formal of the three and is mainly found in written or news-style Japanese.