N2 Timing, Occasions, and Triggers

~かと思おもうと/~かと思おもったら: meaning, usage and examples

~かと思おもうと/~かと思おもったら means: just when... / no sooner... than...

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

Examples

1. 晴はれたかと思おもったら、また雨あめが降ふり始はじめた。

   Just when I thought it had cleared up, it started raining again.

2. 赤あかちゃんは泣ないたかと思おもうと、もう笑わらっている。

   The baby was crying a moment ago and is already laughing.

3. 空そらが暗くらくなったかと思おもうと、激はげしい雨あめが降ふり出だした。

   The sky had just gone dark when heavy rain began to fall.

4. 弟おとうとは帰かえってきたかと思おもったら、すぐまた出でかけていった。

   My younger brother had no sooner come home than he went out again.

When to use it

Use this to describe one event followed immediately by a different, often unexpected one, as the speaker watches: 空そらが暗くらくなったかと思おもうと、激はげしい雨あめが降ふり出だした (the sky had just gone dark when heavy rain began to fall). It conveys surprise at how quickly the situation changed, often to something opposite.

Nuance

Neutral; かと思おもったら is a little more conversational. It describes things the speaker observes, so it is not used for the speaker's own actions. The second clause is a real event, not a request or intention. It often carries surprise or mild criticism, as with a child who cries and then laughs.

Compare

Compare the other "right after" patterns. たとたん just marks the instant of change: 立たったとたん、めまいがした. かと思おもうと stresses a quick, surprising change seen from outside: 泣ないたかと思おもうと、もう笑わらっている. か〜ないかのうちに means the first event had barely happened: 座すわるか座すわらないかのうちに電話でんわが鳴なった.

Tip: If you are the person acting, use たとたん. かと思おもうと is for watching someone or something else change.