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にわかに Japanese meaning | Kotomora

にわかに

に

わ

か

に

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

adverb

suddenly; abruptly; unexpectedly

usually written using kana alone

Describes a sudden, often surprising change or occurrence. Commonly used in the phrase にわかには信じがたい (hard to believe suddenly).

空そらがにわかに曇くもって、雨あめが降ふり出だした。
The sky suddenly clouded over and it started to rain.

その知しらせはにわかには信しんじられなかった。

I couldn't believe the news all of a sudden.

Written forms

俄にわかに
Kanji spelling with okurigana; rarely used in modern writing.
俄にわかに
Kanji spelling without okurigana; very rare and literary.

Kanji

俄sudden, abrupt, improvised

Similar words

突とつ然ぜん
突然 is the most common word for 'suddenly' and can be used in a wider range of contexts. にわかに often implies an unexpected change in a situation or condition, and is slightly more literary.
急きゅうに
急に is a very common, casual word for 'suddenly' or 'quickly'. にわかに is less frequent and carries a nuance of something happening abruptly without prior indication.

Etymology

Derived from the classical Japanese adjective にはか (俄), meaning 'sudden' or 'unexpected'. The adverbial form にわかに has been used since the Heian period.