〜ことに
Formation
Meaning
An expression used to emphasize the speaker's feelings or reaction to a fact or event. It is followed by a description of a past event or a current situation.
Note
Placed at the beginning of a sentence (or clause) to highlight the speaker's emotional response to what follows. It is primarily used with adjectives expressing emotion (e.g., 驚いた, 嬉しい, 残念な, 幸いな). It cannot be followed by sentences expressing the speaker's will, intention, or a command. '〜ことには' is a more emphatic and slightly more formal variant.
Examples
驚いたことに、彼はその難しい試験に満点で合格した。
To my surprise, he passed that difficult exam with a perfect score.
嬉しいことに、日本を旅行中に一度も雨が降らなかった。
Happily, it didn't rain even once during my trip to Japan.
残念なことに、予定していた旅行は中止になってしまった。
Regrettably, the planned trip has been cancelled.
悔しいことに、あと一点というところで負けてしまった。
Maddeningly, we lost when we were just one point away.
ありがたいことに、周囲の人たちの助けでピンチを乗り越えられた。
Gratefully, I was able to overcome the crisis with the help of those around me.
驚いたことには、彼は以前日本に住んでいたことがあるそうだ。
To my surprise, I heard that he has lived in Japan before.