かと思いきや【かとおもいきや】

contrary to expectations, or so we thought, but

AI-generated

Structure

[verb (plain)] + かと思いきや [i-adj] + かと思いきや [na-adj] + かと思いきや [noun] + かと思いきや

Description

かと思いきや means "I thought…, but": the first half is what you expected, and the second half is what actually happened, to your surprise. A verb or an い-adjective comes before it in the plain form, and a noun or a な-adjective takes it directly, with no だ.

、。

I thought they had lost, but they came back at the end and won.

、。

I thought it was going to rain, but it suddenly cleared up.

、。

I thought it would be easy, but when I tried it, it was quite hard.

The second half reports what happened, so it is a statement, usually in the past. It is never a request or something you mean to do.

× 簡単だかと思いきや → 簡単かと思いきや

Register

思いきや is classical Japanese, roughly "I had thought", and the pattern belongs to writing: stories, essays, news commentary, and spoken anecdotes told for effect. In conversation you say とおもったら思ったら or とおもった思ったけど.

、。

I thought it was over, but there was more.

、。

I thought it would be easy, but it was hard.

The か can drop out: とおもいき思いきや means the same.

Examples

、。

I thought he was angry, but he burst out laughing.

、。

The forecast said it would be sunny, but it rained heavily from the morning.

、。

I thought the exam would be easy, but it was the hardest one ever.

、。

I thought it was already over, but there was more to come.

、。

I thought she would agree, but she strongly opposed it.

、。

I thought he had retired, but he started a new project again.

、。

I thought it was cheap, but once shipping was included, it became quite expensive.

、。

I thought it was a children's movie, but the content was fully enjoyable for adults too.

、。

I thought it was a failure, but in the end it was a huge success.

、。

I thought it was a quiet town, but it gets lively at night.

、。

I thought he was Japanese, but he actually grew up in America.

、。

Just when I thought winter was over, it started snowing again.

がてら

がましい