Japanese symbol for “unexpectedly”
案外
あんがい
Romaji: angai
unexpectedly; surprisingly
In Japanese, unexpectedly is 案外, read あんがい (angai).
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.
Meanings
- adv, adv-to unexpectedly; surprisingly
- adj-na unexpected; unanticipated; unforeseen; surprising
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “unexpectedly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 突如 | とつじょ totsujo | suddenly; all of a sudden; unexpectedly |
| 偶然 | ぐうぜん guuzen | by chance; unexpectedly; accidentally |
| 割に | わりに warini | comparatively; relatively; fairly |
| ふらっと | ふらっと furatto | aimlessly; by chance; accidentally |
| 存外 | ぞんがい zongai | beyond expectation; contrary to expectations; unexpectedly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 提案 | ていあん teian | proposal; proposition; suggestion |
| 案内 | あんない annai | guidance; leading (the way); showing around |
| 法案 | ほうあん houan | bill (law); measure |
| 案件 | あんけん anken | matter (to discuss); item (on the agenda); issue |
| 案の定 | あんのじょう annojou | as expected; just as one thought; as feared |
| 海外 | かいがい kaigai | foreign; abroad; overseas |
| 外国 | がいこく gaikoku | foreign country |
| 以外 | いがい igai | excluding; except (for); apart from |
See also: Chinese symbol for “unexpectedly”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.