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思いもよらない (おもいもよらない) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

思おもいもよらない

お

も

い

も

よ

ら

な

い

Meanings

1

expression, i-adjective

unexpected; unforeseen; inconceivable

Used when something is completely beyond what one could have imagined or anticipated; often carries a nuance of surprise or shock.

思おもいもよらない結けっ果かになった。
It turned out to be a completely unexpected result.
彼かれから思おもい

も

よら

ない

プレゼント

を

もらっ

た

。

I received a totally unexpected present from him.

Written forms

思おもいもよらない
Standard kanji spelling.
思おもいも寄よらない
Alternate kanji spelling using 寄る; less common but still seen.

Kanji

思think
寄draw near, stop in, bring near

Similar words

意い外がい
意外 is a more common and neutral word for 'unexpected'; 思いもよらない is stronger and more emphatic, implying something beyond imagination.
予よ想そう外がい
予想外 is similar in meaning but slightly more formal and often used in objective contexts; 思いもよらない is more subjective and emotional.

Etymology

From 思い (thought) + も (even) + よらない (negative of 寄る, here meaning 'to approach' or 'to come to mind'), literally 'even thought does not approach', i.e., beyond what one can think of.