N2 Timing, Occasions, and Triggers

~か~ないかのうちに: meaning, usage and examples

~か~ないかのうちに means: as soon as... / no sooner... than...

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

Examples

1. 座すわるか座すわらないかのうちに、電話でんわが鳴なった。

   No sooner had I sat down than the phone rang.

2. 言いい終おわるか言いい終おわらないかのうちに、彼かれは部屋へやを出でて行いった。

   He left the room before I had even finished speaking.

3. ベルが鳴なるか鳴ならないかのうちに、生徒せいとたちは教室きょうしつを飛とび出だした。

   The bell had barely rung when the students rushed out of the classroom.

4. 夜よるが明あけるか明あけないかのうちに、父ちちは畑はたけへ出でかけた。

   My father left for the fields just as dawn was breaking.

When to use it

Use this when a second event happens at almost the same moment as the first, so quickly that you cannot even tell whether the first had finished: ベルが鳴なるか鳴ならないかのうちに、生徒せいとたちは教室きょうしつを飛とび出だした (the bell had barely rung when the students rushed out). The same verb is repeated in the positive and negative.

Nuance

Neutral, used in narration and conversation. It describes actual past events, so the second clause is a fact, usually in the past tense. It cannot be followed by a request, an order or the speaker's intention. Often used about other people or things, describing a surprise.

Compare

Several patterns mean "right after". たとたん also means "the moment" but has no sense of "before it was even done": ドアを開あけたとたん、猫ねこが逃にげた. か〜ないかのうちに stresses the overlap: 言いい終おわるか言いい終おわらないかのうちに. 次第しだい is about future plans: 終おわり次第しだい、連絡れんらくします.

Tip: Always repeat the same verb: 座すわるか座すわらないか, 鳴なるか鳴ならないか. Changing or shortening the second verb is a common test trap.