N1 Time, Timing, and Transition

~かと思おもいきや: meaning, usage and examples

~かと思おもいきや means: I expected..., but actually... (contrary to expectation).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 試験しけんは簡単かんたんだったかと思おもいきや、平均へいきん点てんはとても低ひくかった。

   I thought the test had been easy, but the average score turned out to be very low.

2. 田中たなかさんは静しずかな人ひとかと思おもいきや、お酒さけを飲のむととてもおしゃべりだ。

   I thought Mr. Tanaka was a quiet person, but he gets very talkative when he drinks.

3. 大雨おおあめで中止ちゅうしになるかと思おもいきや、試合しあいは予定よていどおり行おこなわれた。

   I expected the game to be canceled because of the heavy rain, but it went ahead as planned.

4. 高たかい店みせかと思おもいきや、料金りょうきんは意外いがいに手頃てごろだった。

   I expected the place to be expensive, but the prices were surprisingly reasonable.

When to use it

Means "I expected A, but actually B." The speaker sets up a natural expectation and then reports the surprising result. Example: 晴はれるかと思おもいきや、雨あめが降ふり出だした (I thought it would clear up, but it started to rain). Popular in essays, blogs, news headlines and light narration.

Nuance

A playful or literary sense of surprise. The second clause is a fact that has already turned out, not a request or plan. It sounds somewhat written; in casual speech people say と思おもったら or と思おもったのに.

Compare

と思おもったら can mean either "just when I thought..." or "I thought, but": 帰かえったと思おもったら、また来きた. かと思おもいきや is only for a broken expectation. ところが and にもかかわらず are general contrast words without the built-in "I thought" feeling.

Tip: It always sets up a wrong guess. If the guess turned out right, かと思おもいきや cannot be used.