なり
JLPT Level: N1
Meanings
As soon as
The moment
When
Usage
動詞連用形 + なり
名詞/形容動詞語幹 + なり
文末での用法（古典・文語的表現）
Explanation
なり is a classical Japanese auxiliary or sentence-ending particle used in literary or formal writing to express that something occurs immediately after or at the moment of another action. It is not common in everyday modern Japanese, but it appears in classical prose, historical texts, and some stylized modern writing. The core nuance is immediacy: the following event happens right as another event happens or a state is reached. In many contexts, the construction follows a verb in the 連用形 (continuative form) or attaches to a noun/adjective stem to indicate the ensuing moment.
鐘が鳴るなり、人々は一斉に立ち上がった。
かねがなるなり、ひとびとはいっせいにたちあがった。
As the bell rang, people stood up all at once.
雨が降るなり、道はぬかるみ始めた。
あめがふるなり、みちはぬかるみはじめた。
The moment it began to rain, the road started to get muddy.
彼は家を飛び出すなり、車へ走っていった。
かれはいえをとびだすなり、くるまへはしっていった。
He ran out of the house and toward the car at once.