N1 Time, Timing, and Transition

~そばから: meaning, usage and examples

~そばから means: no sooner... than (it is undone again); keeps happening right after.

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 新あたらしい単語たんごを覚おぼえたそばから、忘わすれてしまう。

   As soon as I learn new words, I forget them.

2. 子供こどもを叱しかったそばから、もう同おなじいたずらをしている。

   No sooner have I scolded my child than they are up to the same mischief again.

3. 片付かたづけるそばから、子こどもたちがおもちゃを散ちらかす。

   No sooner do I tidy up than the kids scatter their toys again.

4. 雪ゆきかきをするそばから、また雪ゆきが積つもっていく。

   As fast as I shovel the snow, more piles up.

When to use it

Describes something that happens again and again: as soon as A is done, it is undone or contradicted by B, so the effort feels wasted. Example: 片付かたづけるそばから散ちらかされる (no sooner do I tidy up than it gets messy again). Used for frustrating repetition in daily life, study and housework.

Nuance

Carries a tone of frustration or resignation. It describes repeated or habitual situations, not a single one-time event. The second clause is a fact, not a request or plan. Neutral register, used in both writing and conversation.

Compare

が早はやいか and や否いなや describe a single event followed immediately by another (ベルが鳴なるや否いなや走はしり出だした). そばから is repeated and the result cancels the effort. てもきりがない expresses a similar endless feeling without the instant timing: 掃除そうじしてもきりがない.

Tip: Picture a loop: learn, forget, learn, forget. If the scene repeats and the effort is wasted, そばから fits.