Just when you thought: 〜と思いきや
Plain form + と思いきや（〜かと思いきや）
Plain form + と思いきや: “you'd have thought…, but no”; reality belies the expectation, often with surprise or humour. Written, narrative style; not used for your own intentions.
In short
〜と思いきや: “you'd have thought…, but no”; you set up an expectation, then reality contradicts it, often surprisingly or amusingly (晴れると思いきや、雨だった). 思いきや is a classical form of 思う. Written, narrative style, columns, light articles, with a touch of humour.
- 晴れると思いきや、午後から土砂降りになった。はれるとおもいきや、ごごからどしゃぶりになった。We thought it would be sunny, but from the afternoon it poured down.
- 簡単な試験かと思いきや、最後の問題が非常に難しかった。かんたんなしけんかとおもいきや、さいごのもんだいがひじょうにむずかしかった。I thought the exam would be easy, but the last question was fiendish.
- 彼はもう帰ったと思いきや、まだ会議室に残っていた。かれはもうかえったとおもいきや、まだかいぎしつにのこっていた。I thought he'd already gone home, but he was still in the meeting room.
The basics
思いきや comes from 思う + き (classical past marker) + や (particle of doubt): “did one really think that…?”. The sentence stages a reversal: you present the natural expectation, then the reality that belies it. The tone is lively, often amused or surprised — rather like English “just when you thought…”, “you'd have thought…, but no”.
You read it in columns, stories, light articles, blogs. It belongs to writing, even though it gives the narrative a chatty colour.
We thought it would be sunny, but from the afternoon it poured down.
- verb
- grammatical form
- noun
- 晴れると思いきや、午後から土砂降りになった。はれるとおもいきや、ごごからどしゃぶりになった。We thought it would be sunny, but from the afternoon it poured down.
- 優勝候補が順当に勝ち上がると思いきや、初戦で姿を消した。ゆうしょうこうほがじゅんとうにかちあがるとおもいきや、しょせんですがたをけした。We expected the favourite to sail through, but they were knocked out in the first round.
How to form it
Plain form + と思いきや. With a noun or a な-adjective, だ is often dropped (大混雑と思いきや). The variant 〜かと思いきや adds doubt: “I wondered if…, but”.
| Before と思いきや | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | plain form | 帰ったと思いきや |
| い-adjective | plain form | 高いと思いきや |
| Noun / な-adj. | （だ）と思いきや | 大混雑と思いきや |
| With doubt | 〜かと思いきや | 怒るかと思いきや |
- おとなしい子かと思いきや、話してみるとなかなかの毒舌家だった。おとなしいこかとおもいきや、はなしてみるとなかなかのどくぜつかだった。I took her for a shy girl, but when I talked to her, she turned out to have quite a sharp tongue.
- これで一件落着と思いきや、新たな問題が持ち上がった。これでいっけんらくちゃくとおもいきや、あらたなもんだいがもちあがった。We thought the matter was settled, but a new problem cropped up.
と思いきや, と思ったら or にもかかわらず?
と思ったら (N2) can also mark surprise, but it's mostly used to say “no sooner…, than” (帰ってきたと思ったら、また出かけた): the first thing really happened. と思いきや presents an expectation that turned out to be wrong.
にもかかわらず notes a contradiction between two real facts, neutrally and seriously. と思いきや sets a supposition against reality, for an effect of surprise.
| Expression | What's contrasted | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜と思いきや | a false expectation / reality | 晴れると思いきや雨だった |
| 〜と思ったら | no sooner (real fact), than | 帰ったと思ったら、また出かけた |
| 〜にもかかわらず | two contradictory real facts | 雨にもかかわらず集まった |
- 息子は帰ってきたと思ったら、またすぐに出かけていった。むすこはかえってきたとおもったら、またすぐにでかけていった。No sooner had my son got home than he went straight back out.
- 大雨にもかかわらず、試合は予定どおり行われた。おおあめにもかかわらず、しあいはよていどおりおこなわれた。Despite the pouring rain, the match went ahead as planned.
Common mistakes
- Using it for your own intention: “×早く起きようと思いきや、目覚ましをかけた” is wrong; と思いきや sets an expectation against a reality that belies it.
- Forgetting the reversal: if what follows confirms the expectation, と思いきや makes no sense.
- Putting it in a report or an official letter: it gives a narrative a lively, almost humorous colour.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Kyūshū Line (Values and society) of the Shinkansen.