驚き
odoroki[o̞do̞ɾo̞kʲi]
The Japanese word for the feeling of surprise is 驚き (odoroki).
驚き is used to refer to the noun form of the feeling that something unexpected has occurred. To express the sensation of being surprised informally, you might use the colloquial term びっくり (bikkuri) to denote a sudden sense of surprise or shock. If you want to express that you were surprised, the common informal phrase is びっくりした！ (bikkuri shita!).
Meaning: feeling that something unexpected has happened (noun)
Which one should you use?
In contrast, 驚き describes the feeling of being surprised itself.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
odoroki
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific term 驚天動地 (kyōten dōchi) to describe a surprise so great it 'shakes the heavens and moves the earth'. This four-character idiom is used for world-shaking news rather than personal shocks.
- The word びっくり is so versatile that it can be used as a prefix to describe something unusually large or expensive, such as びっくりサイズ (bikkuri size) for an oversized portion of food.
- In Japanese culture, a common physical reaction to びっくり is to place one's hands on their cheeks or chest. This gesture is often exaggerated in anime and manga to visually signal that a character is experiencing a 'surprise'.
Examples in context
- 私は彼がうそをついているのではないかと疑ったが、それで驚きはしなかった。I suspected that he was telling a lie, but that didn't surprise me.This sentence shows how to use 驚き to express that something did not cause surprise.Tatoeba #154592 by bunbuku, translation #259948 by CM
- タイガースはそのゲームに負けた。それは私達には驚きだった。The Tigers lost the game, which was a surprise to us.This sentence uses 驚き to describe a surprise to a group of people.Tatoeba #203990 by mookeee, translation #41232 by CK
- 逆に要領よく切り抜けると思われてたとしても驚きはしないが。On the other hand, even if I was expected to cut through easily, that's no surprise.This sentence uses 驚き to indicate that a situation is no surprise.Tatoeba #1642028 by mookeee, translation #9980706 by tsp_2
- 彼のプレゼンテーションは本当に素晴らしかったです。大変驚きました。His presentation was truly amazing. I was greatly surprised.
- 山の頂上からの景色は美しかったです。なんと驚いたことか。The view from the mountaintop was beautiful. I was completely surprised.
- あの映画、すごい！That movie was amazing!
- すごいね、この景色。This view is incredible, isn't it?
- あの人、宝くじに当たったそうだよ。マジで？I heard that person won the lottery. Seriously?
- 彼のプレゼント、すごく嬉しかった！びっくりした！I was incredibly happy with his gift! I was surprised!
Example conversation
Hina and Kenta are talking about a friend's sudden marriage announcement.
- 陽葵 Himari結婚したなんて、本当に驚きだね。Kekkon shita nante, hontō ni odoroki da ne.It's a real surprise that they got married.
- 健太 Kentaそうだね。全く予想していなかったよ。Sō da ne. Mattaku yosō shite inakatta yo.You're right. I didn't expect it at all.
- 陽葵 Himari健太はそんなに驚きだったの？Kenta wa sonna ni odoroki datta no?Were you that surprised, Kenta?
- 健太 Kentaうん、まだ信じられないよ。Un, mada shinjirarenai yo.Yeah, I still can't believe it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “surprise” translations and entries 驚き, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
