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How to say 'Unexpectedly' in Japanese | 案外

Wondering how to say 'Unexpectedly' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Unexpectedly is 'Angai', written as 案外 in Japanese.'Unexpectedly' in hiragana is あんがい.

    word

    案外

    Meaning

    Unexpectedly

    Reading

    あんがい

    angai

    Kanji

    案Plan, Proposal 外Outside

    Explanation

    The Japanese adverb '案外 (あんがい)' means 'unexpectedly' or 'surprisingly'. It is used to express that something turned out differently than one had anticipated, often in a way that is contrary to expectations. This word can be used in both positive and negative contexts. For example: The test was unexpectedly easy「テストは案外簡単だった」(てすとはあんがいかんたんだった). The weather was surprisingly cold「天気は案外寒かった」(てんきはあんがいさむかった). It is important to note that '案外' often carries a nuance of mild surprise or a deviation from what was assumed.

    Part Of Speech

    adverb

    Kanji JLPT

    N1

    Kanji Grade

    4

    Frequency

    3547

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 案外

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    案

    Meaning

    Plan, Proposal

  • kanji

    外

    Meaning

    Outside

Words Related to 案外 Through the Kanji 案

These 5 Words contain the Kanji 案 as well.

  • word

    提案

    Meaning

    Proposal

  • word

    案内

    Meaning

    Guidance

  • word

    案

    Meaning

    Plan

  • word

    案の定

    Meaning

    Expectedly

  • word

    答案

    Meaning

    Answer, Test paper

Words Related to 案外 Through the Kanji 外

These 29 Words contain the Kanji 外 as well.

  • word

    外

    Meaning

    Outside

  • word

    以外

    Meaning

    Except

  • word

    外人

    Meaning

    Foreigner

  • word

    外国人

    Meaning

    Foreigner

  • word

    外国語

    Meaning

    Foreign language

  • word

    外国

    Meaning

    Foreign country

  • word

    海外

    Meaning

    Overseas

  • word

    外す

    Meaning

    Remove, Miss

  • word

    意外

    Meaning

    Unexpected

  • word

    外出

    Meaning

    Outing

  • word

    外食

    Meaning

    Eating out

  • word

    外来語

    Meaning

    Loanword

  • word

    国外

    Meaning

    Abroad

  • word

    外部

    Meaning

    Outside

  • word

    外交

    Meaning

    Diplomacy, Foreign relations

  • word

    例外

    Meaning

    Exception

  • word

    外相

    Meaning

    Foreign minister

  • word

    外観

    Meaning

    Appearance

  • word

    外貨

    Meaning

    Foreign currency

  • word

    外れる

    Meaning

    Detach, Miss

  • word

    外務省

    Meaning

    Foreign affairs

  • word

    外科

    Meaning

    Surgery

  • word

    外側

    Meaning

    Outside

  • word

    外れ

    Meaning

    End, Miss

  • word

    郊外

    Meaning

    Suburbs

  • word

    町外れ

    Meaning

    Outskirts

  • word

    外務

    Meaning

    Foreign affairs

  • word

    外来

    Meaning

    Foreign

  • word

    内外

    Meaning

    Inside outside, Domestic foreign

Learn the Word 案外

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What does 'Angai' (案外) mean?

'Angai' means 'Unexpectedly' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.