Chinese symbol for “unexpected”
意外
yì wài
unexpected; accident; mishap; 个 (gè)
The closest CC-CEDICT match for unexpected is 意外 (yì wài), defined as: unexpected; accident; mishap; 个 (gè).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “unexpected”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 想不到 | xiǎng bu dào | unexpected; hard to imagine |
| 意想不到 | yì xiǎng bù dào | unexpected; previously unimagined |
| 突然 | tū rán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 出乎意料 | chū hū yì liào | (idiom) unexpected |
| 出人意料 | chū rén yì liào | unexpected (idiom); surprising |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 意外.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 注意 | zhù yì | to take note of; to pay attention to |
| 意见 (意見) | yì jiàn | idea; opinion |
| 意思 | yì si | idea; opinion |
| 意义 (意義) | yì yì | sense; meaning |
| 愿意 (願意) | yuàn yì | to wish; to want |
| 同意 | tóng yì | to agree; to consent |
| 另外 | lìng wài | additional; in addition |
| 此外 | cǐ wài | besides; in addition; moreover; furthermore |
See also: Japanese symbol for “unexpected”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.