Japanese word

予想外

Pronunciation

Romajiyosōgai

Meaning

  • na-adjectiveunexpected

Example

その結果は予想外でした。so no kek ka wa yo sō gai de shi ta

The result was unexpected.

Illustration for 予想外 (unexpected)

More examples

旅行中に予想外の出会いがありました。ryo kō chū ni yo sō gai no de a i ga a ri ma shi ta

I had an unexpected encounter during my trip.

Core concept

Marks a result or event as falling outside what the speaker had expected.

Common phrases

  • 予想外の結果yo sō gai no kek ka

    unexpected result

  • 予想外の展開yo sō gai no ten kai

    unexpected development

  • 予想外に大きいyo sō gai ni ō ki i

    unexpectedly large

Similar words

意外igai: Describes a fact or outcome that is not as expected and seems surprising.
想定外sōteigai: Describes something not included in an original assumption, plan, or estimate.

Definition in Japanese

事前に考えていた範囲から外れているさま。ji zen ni kanga e te i ta han i ka ra hazu re te i ru sa ma

Word origin

予想 (yosō, "expectation") combines with 外 (gai, "outside") to form a compound meaning outside what was expected.

Usage tips

  • In conversational Japanese, 予想外 (yosōgai) can describe both pleasant and unpleasant surprises, so it does not by itself mean something bad.

Other meanings

  • unforeseenna-adjective

Opposites

  • 想定内sōteinaiwithin expectationsna-adjective

Word lists with this word