にわか

に

わ

か

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

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

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.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉がにわかに起おこるfor something to happen all of a sudden
彼かれの周まわりでにわかに事じ件けんが起おこった。
An incident suddenly happened around him.
にわかに信しんじがたいhard to believe right away
その話はなしはにわかに信しんじがたい。
That story is hard to believe right off the bat.
にわか雨あめsudden, brief rain shower
午ご後ごからにわか雨あめが降ふるそうだ。
They say there'll be a sudden shower in the afternoon.

Kanji

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

Related words

突とつ然ぜんN3sense 1
突然 is a neutral, formal word for 'suddenly', while 俄 often carries a nuance of hastiness or lack of preparation.
急きゅうN3sense 1
急 describes urgent or steep change (like a slope or turn), whereas 俄 focuses on the abrupt, improvised nature of an event.
突とっ発ぱつ sense 1
突発 is used for sudden, unexpected outbreaks (like accidents or incidents), while 俄 is a broader adjective for anything hasty or unprepared.
ミーハー
にわか describes someone who suddenly and shallowly latches onto a single interest, while ミーハー describes a person who chronically chases whatever trend or fad is currently popular.

Opposites

緩ゆるやかN1sense 1
緩やか describes something gradual or gentle, the opposite of the abruptness implied by 俄.

Don't confuse with

俄が然ぜんN1sense 1
俄然 shares the kanji 俄 with 俄 but is read differently and functions as an adverb meaning 'all of a sudden', not a na-adjective.

Word family

にわかにN2
suddenly; abruptly; unexpectedly
俄にわか盲めくら
person suddenly blinded
俄にわか狂きょう言げん
impromptu skit; farce; extravaganza
俄にわか分限ぶげん
mushroom millionaire; newly rich person
にわかファン
bandwagon fan; fair-weather fan

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.

Etymology

The modern form continues classical にはか, meaning “sudden” or “abrupt.” The spelling 俄 represents the word semantically.