まもなく
Soon / Shortly / Before long
Mamonaku sanbansen ni densha ga mairimasu.
→ The train will arrive at track 3 shortly.
コンサートがまもなく始まる
The concert will start soon
Eiga ga mamonaku hajimaru node, seki ni tsukimashō.
→ The movie is about to start, let's take our seats.
家に帰ってまもなく客が来た
A guest came shortly after I got home
Mise o akete mamonaku kyaku ga takusan kita.
→ Many customers came shortly after opening the store.
近々
Soon / In the near future
Chikadjika, dōsōkai o hiraku yotei da.
→ I plan to hold a class reunion in the near future.
近々お伺いします
I will visit you soon
Chikadjika mata gorenraku shimasu.
→ I will contact you again soon.
そのうち
Sooner or later / Eventually / In due time
Renshū sureba, sonouchi dekiru yōni naru yo.
→ If you practice, you'll be able to do it sooner or later.
そのうちわかるようになるでしょう
You will understand in due time
Otona ni nareba, sonouchi oya no kimochi ga wakaru yōni naru.
→ When you grow up, you will eventually understand how parents feel.
やがて
Before long / Eventually / In time
Yagate yo ga akeru darō.
→ Dawn will break before long.
やがて夏休みも終わる
Summer vacation will be over soon
Tanoshii jikan wa, yagate owari o mukaeru.
→ Fun times will eventually come to an end.
父が死んでやがて1年になる
It has been nearly a year since my father died
Nihon ni kite yagate hantoshi ni naru.
→ It has been nearly half a year since I came to Japan.
ようやく
Finally / At last
Sanjikan matte, yōyaku basu ga kita.
→ After waiting for 3 hours, the bus finally came.
ようやく暖かくなってきた
It has finally started to get warm
Kega ga naotte, yōyaku arukeru yōni natta.
→ My injury healed, and I was finally able to walk.
いずれ
Sooner or later / Eventually / Either way
Izure ni shitemo, kekka wa kawaranai.
→ In any case, the result won't change.
いずれこうなると思っていた
I thought it would eventually come to this
Osokare hayakare, izure kō naru unmei datta.
→ Sooner or later, it was destined to turn out like this.
たちまち
Instantly / In a moment / Immediately
Sora ga kuraku nari, tachimachi ame ga furidashita.
→ The sky grew dark, and it instantly started raining.
チケットはたちまち売り切れた
Tickets sold out instantly
Uwasa wa tachimachi machijū ni hiromatta.
→ The rumor spread throughout the town in an instant.
ただちに
Immediately / At once
Zen'in, tadachini hinan shite kudasai.
→ Everyone, please evacuate immediately.
ただちに出発したほうがいい
You should leave immediately
Hakken shita baai wa, tadachini keisatsu ni tsūhō shite kudasai.
→ If discovered, please report to the police immediately.
にわかに
Suddenly / Abruptly
Kare no shuchō wa niwaka ni wa shinjigatai.
→ It is hard to believe his claim all of a sudden.
にわかに空が曇ってきた
The sky suddenly became cloudy
Yama no tenki wa kawariyasuku, niwakani kaze ga tsuyomatta.
→ Mountain weather is changeable;the wind suddenly strengthened.
にわか雨
Sudden shower / Rain shower
Niwakaame ni furarete, bishonure ni natta.
→ I got caught in a sudden shower and got soaked.
絶えず
Constantly / Always / Incessantly
Kono dōro wa taezu kuruma ga tōtteiru.
→ Cars are constantly passing on this road.
絶えず水が流れている
Water is flowing constantly
Kare wa taezu nani ka monku o itteiru.
→ He is constantly complaining about something.
つねに
Always / At all times
Rīdā wa tsuneni reisei de nakereba naranai.
→ A leader must always be calm.
つねに健康に注意する
Always pay attention to health
Tsuneni mawari no jōkyō o kakunin shite kudasai.
→ Please always check your surroundings.
しきりに
Frequently / Repeatedly / Incessantly
Kare wa shikirini tokei o miteita.
→ He was repeatedly checking his watch.
しきりに電話が鳴る
The phone rings incessantly
Soto dewa shikirini tori ga naiteiru.
→ Birds are chirping incessantly outside.
しきりにほめる
Praise profusely
Kare wa kanojo no koto o shikirini susumeteita.
→ He was eagerly recommending her.
しょっちゅう
Often / Frequently / All the time
Kono pasokon wa shocchū furīzu suru.
→ This computer freezes all the time.
しょっちゅう酒を飲む
Drink alcohol frequently
Kare to wa shocchū kenka shiteiru.
→ I argue with him all the time.
もうすでに
Already
Sono mondai wa mō sudeni kaiketsu shita.
→ That problem has already been solved.
その絵はすでに売れてしまった
That painting has already been sold
Kaijō ni tsuita toki, shiai wa sudeniはじまってita.
→ When I arrived at the venue, the match had already started.
とっくに
Long ago / Already
Kare nara tokkuni kaerimashita yo.
→ If it's him, he went home long ago.
期限はとっくに過ぎている
The deadline passed long ago
Shukudai wa tokkuni owaraseta.
→ I finished my homework ages ago.
とっくの昔
A long, long time ago
Sonna koto wa tokku no mukashi ni wasureta.
→ I forgot about that a long time ago.
前もって
In advance / Beforehand
Kesseki suru baai wa, maemotte renraku shite kudasai.
→ If you are going to be absent, please contact us in advance.
前もって調べておく
Check in advance
Ryokō no keikaku o maemotte tateru.
→ Make travel plans in advance.
ほぼ
Almost / Nearly / Approximately
Shigoto wa hobo kanryō shita.
→ The work is almost finished.
ほぼ1万円
Approximately 10,000 yen
Shūridai wa hobo shinpin o kau no to onaji kurai da.
→ The repair cost is almost the same as buying a new one.
ほぼ読み終わる
Almost finished reading
Teiin wa hobo man'in da.
→ It is almost fully booked.
およそ
Approximately / About
Koko kara eki made oyoso ichikiro arimasu.
→ It is approximately 1 kilometer from here to the station.
おおよそ2週間
About 2 weeks
Higai wa oyoso ichiokuen to mirareru.
→ The damage is estimated to be approximately 100 million yen.
ほんの
Mere / Just / Only
Kore wa honno kimochi desu.
→ This is just a small token of my feelings.
ほんの少し
Just a little bit
Abura o honno sukoshi ireru to oishiku naru.
→ If you add just a little bit of oil, it will taste better.
たった
Only / Merely / Just
Tatta ichido no jinsei dakara, tanoshimitai.
→ It's my one and only life, so I want to enjoy it.
たった一人で
All by oneself
Kare wa tatta ichinichi de shigoto o yameta.
→ He quit his job in just one day.
せいぜい
At most / At best
Eki made aruitemo, seizei juppun gurai da.
→ Even if you walk to the station, it takes about 10 minutes at most.
出席者はせいぜい30人程度だ
Attendees will be around 30 people at most
Kyūryō ga agatta to ittemo, seizei sūsen'en da.
→ Even if my salary went up, it's only a few thousand yen at most.
少なくとも
At least
Hiyō wa sukunakutomo goman'en wa kakaru.
→ The cost will be at least 50,000 yen.
少なくとも30人は来る
At least 30 people will come
Mainichi sukunakutomo ichijikan wa benkyō suru.
→ I study for at least 1 hour every day.
せめて
At least
Semete namae dake demo oshiete kudasai.
→ Please tell me at least your name.
せめて5位以内になりたかった
I wanted to be in the top 5 at least
Kekka wa dame datta ga, semete saigo made yaritōshitakatta.
→ The result was no good, but I wanted to see it through to the end at least.
せめて声だけでも聞きたい
I want to hear at least your voice
Aenai nara, semete denwa de hanashitai.
→ If we can't meet, I want to at least talk on the phone.