いつしか
い
つ
し
か
Meanings
1
before one knows it; unnoticed; unawares
usually written using kana alone
Describes something happening gradually or without the speaker realizing it, often with a sense of time passing.
Before I knew it, the sun had set.
I had fallen in love with her without realizing it.
Usage patterns
- いつしか〈事〉になっていたbefore one knew it, things had become〈事〉
Before they knew it, the two of them had become close friends.
- いつしか〈時〉が過ぎていたbefore one realized it, a period of time had passed
Ten years had passed before I knew it.