N1 Time, Timing, and Transition

~た弾はずみに / ~た拍子ひょうしに: meaning, usage and examples

~た弾はずみに / ~た拍子ひょうしに means: in the moment that... / just as...

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

Examples

1. 転ころんだ拍子ひょうしに、持もっていたスマホを落おとしてしまった。

   In the moment that I fell, I dropped the phone I was holding.

2. くしゃみをした弾はずみに、腰こしを痛いためてしまった。

   Just as I sneezed, I hurt my back.

3. 立たち上あがった拍子ひょうしに、机つくえの上うえのコップを倒たおしてしまった。

   As I stood up, I knocked over the glass on the desk.

4. 車くるまが急きゅうブレーキをかけた弾はずみに、荷物にもつが棚たなから落おちた。

   When the car braked suddenly, the luggage fell off the rack.

When to use it

Describes a small, sudden movement or event that accidentally triggers something else, usually an accident. Example: 立たち上あがった拍子ひょうしに、コップを倒たおした (as I stood up, I knocked over a glass). Used for slips, falls, things dropped, and words that pop out without thinking. 弾はずみ and 拍子ひょうし both mean the instant of a movement.

Nuance

Neutral register, common in conversation and writing. The result is unintended and usually unwelcome, so it cannot be a plan, request or deliberate act. 弾はずみ also has a figurative use for momentum (話はなしの弾はずみで言いってしまった).

Compare

たとたん is "right after," often a surprise but not necessarily caused by the first action: 外そとに出でたとたん雨あめが降ふった. 拍子ひょうしに means the first movement physically caused the accident: 転ころんだ拍子ひょうしに腕うでを折おった. 弾はずみに and 拍子ひょうしに are almost interchangeable.

Tip: Ask: did the first movement cause an accident? If yes, 拍子ひょうしに. If it was only bad timing, use たとたん.