Japanese word

にわか

Pronunciation

Romajiniwaka

Meaning

  • na-adjectiveabrupt

Example

にわかな変化に驚きました。ni wa ka na hen ka ni odoro ki ma shi ta

I was surprised by the abrupt change.

Illustration for にわか (abrupt)

More examples

試合中ににわかに風が強くなりました。shi ai chū ni ni wa ka ni kaze ga tsuyo ku na ri ma shi ta

The wind suddenly grew stronger during the game.

Core concept

Describes something that happens suddenly, with little or no warning.

Common phrases

  • にわかな雨ni wa ka na ame

    sudden rain

  • にわかな人気ni wa ka na nin ki

    sudden popularity

  • にわかな熱狂ni wa ka na nek kyō

    sudden excitement

Similar words

突然totsuzen: Describes something that begins with little or no warning.
唐突tōtotsu: Describes an action or statement that lacks a natural lead-in.
急激kyūgeki: Describes a process that changes quickly over a short period.
突発的toppatsuteki: Describes something that occurs unexpectedly rather than as part of a plan.

Definition in Japanese

予想や前触れがなく、物事が急に起こるさま。yo sō ya mae bu re ga na ku mono goto ga kyū ni o ko ru sa ma

Word origin

にわか (niwaka) is a native Japanese word historically connected with にわかに (niwaka ni, "suddenly"), which expresses the sudden onset of an event.

Usage tips

  • A change can be にわかな (niwakana, "sudden") even when its final size is small, because the word focuses on how quickly it begins rather than how large it becomes.

Other meanings

  • suddenna-adjective
  • unexpectedna-adjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word