immersionlog
Sign inCreate account

〜と思いきや

I thought …, but (actually)

Plain form (Noun, な-adj か optional) + と思いきや

Sign up free to review this point on a spaced schedule.

と思いきや sets up an expectation and then overturns it: 簡単に勝てると思いきや、苦戦した, "I thought we'd win easily, but it was a hard fight".

The second half is a surprise: the opposite of what you expected, or something unexpected. It's a lively, slightly playful expression, common in written stories, blogs, TV narration and manga.

It's close to と思ったら and かと思ったら (N2), but と思いきや always involves a mistaken expectation, never just "the moment". と思ったが is the plain equivalent.

Don't use it for your present thoughts. It always looks back at an expectation that turned out wrong. Compare と思って, "thinking that (so I did)", which isn't contrastive.

Examples

  • 簡単かんたんに勝かてると思おもいきや、苦戦くせんした。

    I thought we'd win easily, but it was a hard fight.

  • 雨あめがやんだと思おもいきや、また降ふり出だした。

    Just when I thought the rain had stopped, it started again.

  • 彼かれは怒おこると思おもいきや、笑わらって許ゆるしてくれた。

    I thought he'd be angry, but he laughed and forgave me.

  • 高たかいと思おもいきや、意外いがいに安やすかった。

    I assumed it would be expensive, but it was surprisingly cheap.

  • 今日きょうは休やすみかと思おもいきや、店みせは開あいていた。

    I thought it might be closed today, but the shop was open.

Related