〜かと思いきや
Formation
Meaning
Used when something was expected or assumed to be one way, but turned out to be quite different. It conveys a sense of surprise or unexpectedness at the reality of the situation.
Note
Indicates a strong contrast between what was expected and what actually happened. It expresses the speaker's surprise or mild shock at the unexpected turn of events. The particle 'か' in '〜かと思いきや' is optional. Similar to '〜かと思うと', but '〜かと思いきや' focuses more on the discrepancy from expectation rather than just the succession of events.
Examples
やっと終わったかと思いきや、また新しい仕事が来た。
Just when I thought it was finally over, more new work arrived.
雨が降るかと思いきや、結局降らなかった。
I thought it would rain, but in the end, it didn't.
合格したかと思いきや、不合格だった。
I thought I had passed, but I actually failed.
忙しいかと思いきや、今日は意外に暇だった。
I thought it would be busy, but it was surprisingly quiet today.
静かかと思いきや、中に入るとすごくうるさかった。
I thought it was quiet, but once I got inside, it was very noisy.
学生かと思いきや、実は学校の先生だった。
I thought they were a student, but they were actually a teacher.
高いと思いきや、意外に安かった。
I thought it would be expensive, but it was surprisingly cheap.
難しいと思いきや、案外簡単だった。
I thought it would be difficult, but it was unexpectedly easy.