Grammar › N1 · 12 Inference and judgment

〜と思いきや: I thought ... but

N1 · 12 Inference and judgment

Introduces an unexpected result that goes against what you first expected.

Plain form + と思いきや, followed by the surprising fact. Written and spoken. The follow-up always shows the opposite, so do not use it for expected results. Also 〜かと思いきや. Compare 〜と思ったら.

Examples

簡単かんたんだと思おもいきや、意外いがいに難むずかしかった。

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

晴はれると思おもいきや、午後ごごから大雨おおあめになった。

I thought it would be sunny, but it turned into heavy rain in the afternoon.

Study 〜と思いきや in the course →