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思いがけない (おもいがけない) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
i-adjective
unexpected ; surprising ; by chance
Describes something that happens without being anticipated, often with a nuance of pleasant or striking surprise. Can modify nouns or be used predicatively.
思おも
いがけ
なく
旧きゅう
友ゆう
に
会あ
っ
た
。
I unexpectedly ran into an old friend at the station.
Written forms 思おも いがけない
Standard kanji-kana spelling; the most frequent written form.
思おも い 掛が けない
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 掛ける is not the modern standard for this word.
Similar words 意い 外がい 意外 is a na-adjective/noun meaning 'unexpected' or 'surprising', often used for things contrary to one's assumptions. 思いがけない is more emotional and personal, emphasizing the speaker's lack of anticipation.
突とつ 然ぜん 突然 is an adverb/na-adjective meaning 'sudden' or 'abrupt', focusing on the abruptness of an event. 思いがけない focuses on the unexpectedness from the speaker's perspective, not necessarily suddenness.
Etymology Compound of 思い (thought, expectation) + がけない (an old negative form of 掛ける, meaning 'to hang' or 'to set in motion'). Literally 'not hanging on one's thoughts', i.e., not anticipated. The exact historical derivation of がけない is uncertain, but the word has been used since at least the Edo period.
