思(おも)いがけない

おもいがけない
i-adjective
unexpected; surprising; unforeseen
descriptive
See also: 思(おも)いがけず (adverb form)
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present思(おも)いがけない思(おも)いがけなくない
Past思(おも)いがけなかった思(おも)いがけなくなかった
て form思(おも)いがけなくて思(おも)いがけなくなくて
Adverbial思(おも)いがけなく—
Conditional ば思(おも)いがけなければ思(おも)いがけなくなければ
Conditional たら思(おも)いがけなかったら思(おも)いがけなくなかったら
1. unexpected; surprising; unforeseen
Describes something that happens without being anticipated. Can refer to both positive and negative surprises.
思(おも)いがけない出来事(できごと)があった。
Something unexpected happened.
思(おも)いがけない場所(ばしょ)で友人(ゆうじん)に会(あ)った。
I ran into a friend in an unexpected place.
思(おも)いがけないプレゼントをもらって、とても嬉(うれ)しかった。
I received an unexpected present and was very happy.

Describes something that was not anticipated or imagined beforehand. It conveys genuine surprise at an outcome or encounter that lay outside one's expectations.

Forms

  • 思(おも)いがけない (adjective) — unexpected
  • 思(おも)いがけなく (adverb) — unexpectedly
  • 思(おも)いがけず (adverb, slightly literary) — unexpectedly

Usage

Primarily used as a modifier before nouns. The adverbial form 思(おも)いがけず is common in written language and has a slightly formal tone.

Related words

Related Words

Related: 意外(いがい) (unexpected)
Related: 突然(とつぜん) (sudden)
Compare: 予想外(よそうがい) (unexpected, unforeseen)
Compare: ばったり (unexpectedly, with a thud)
general
Added 2026.3.25 21:57 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
19000/19375_omoigakenai