にわか

に

わ

か

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

sudden; abrupt; unexpected; improvised

usually written using kana alone

Describes something happening quickly and without preparation, often with a nuance of being hasty or offhand. Used for both events and ad-hoc actions.

にわかの雨あめでずぶ濡ぬれになった。
I got soaked by a sudden rain.

彼かれはにわかの思おもいつきで旅たびに出でた。

He set off on a trip on a sudden whim.

noun

impromptu skit

abbreviation

Abbreviation of 俄狂言; a short, improvised comic performance. Sometimes written with the ateji 仁輪加.

Written forms

にわかUsage78%
Usually written in kana; the kanji spelling 俄 is also used but less common in everyday writing.
俄にわかUsage11%
Kanji spelling; more common in literary or formal contexts.
俄にわかUsage10%
Variant kanji spelling with okurigana; rarely used.
ニワカUsage1%
仁に輪わ加かUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Ateji spelling sometimes used for the impromptu skit sense; search-only.

Kanji

俄sudden, abrupt, improvised
仁humanity, virtue, benevolence
輪wheel, ring, circle
加

Similar words

突とつ然ぜん
突然 is a more formal and neutral word for 'sudden', while にわか often implies hastiness or lack of preparation.
急きゅう
急 is used for urgent or steep changes, whereas にわか focuses on the abruptness and improvised nature.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but it may be related to the classical adjective にはか (sudden). The kanji 俄 is a semantic borrowing from Chinese.

add, addition, increase