Japanese Conversation · Level 103
60 words
Japanese word
唐突
Pronunciation
Romajitōtotsu
Meaning
- na-adjectiveunexpected
Example
彼女の提案は唐突です。kano jo no tei an wa tō totsu de su
Her proposal is unexpected.
More examples
話の途中で唐突に話題を変えました。hanashi no to chū de tō totsu ni wa dai o ka e ma shi ta
He changed the subject abruptly in the middle of the conversation.
Core concept
Expresses that something appears suddenly and without enough context, so it feels both surprising and poorly connected to what came before.
Common phrases
唐突な質問tō totsu na shitsu mon
an unexpected question
唐突な発言tō totsu na hatsu gen
an abrupt remark
唐突に切り出すtō totsu ni ki ri da su
bring up abruptly
Similar words
突然totsuzen: It describes an event or change that occurs suddenly and is not anticipated.
不意fui: It describes something that happens unexpectedly and catches people unprepared.
Definition in Japanese
物事が何の前触れもなく急に起こり、意外に感じられるさま。mono goto ga nan no mae bu re mo na ku kyū ni o ko ri i gai ni kan ji ra re ru sa ma
Word origin
唐突 (tōtotsu, "abrupt") is the Japanese reading of the Sino-Japanese compound 唐突, borrowed from Classical Chinese and associated with an abrupt intrusion into an ongoing situation.
Usage tips
- 唐突に話題を変える (tōtotsu ni wadai o kaeru) suggests a sharper break in conversation than simply changing the subject naturally.
Other meanings
- abruptna-adjective
- suddenna-adjective
Opposites
- 自然shizennaturalnoun
Related words
- 唐突さtōtotsusaabruptnessnoun