思いがけない
おもいがけない
adjective (i)
unexpected; surprising; unforeseen
See also:
思いがけず (adverb form)
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 思いがけない | 思いがけなくない |
| Past | 思いがけなかった | 思いがけなくなかった |
| て form | 思いがけなくて | 思いがけなくなくて |
| Adverbial | 思いがけなく | — |
| Conditional ば | 思いがけなければ | 思いがけなくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 思いがけなかったら | 思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.
思いがけない出来事があった。
Something unexpected happened.
思いがけない場所で友人に会った。
I ran into a friend in an unexpected place.
思いがけないプレゼントをもらって、とても嬉しかった。
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:
- 思いがけない (adjective) — unexpected
- 思いがけなく (adverb) — unexpectedly
- 思いがけず (adverb, slightly literary) — unexpectedly
USAGE:
Primarily used as a modifier before nouns. The adverbial form 思いがけず is common in written language and has a slightly formal tone.
RELATED WORDS:
- 意外 — unexpected; surprising (na-adjective, more neutral)
- 突然 — sudden (focuses on timing rather than expectation)