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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "surprised" in Japanese?
驚いた
odoroi ta
In Japanese, "surprised" is 驚いた (odoroi ta).
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Pronunciation
Pronounce oh-doh-ROY-ta, the middle syllable has a slight roll on the r, and the whole word moves quickly.
Writing and usage
驚いた is written using kanji. It's a adjective, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
彼女はその贈り物に驚いた。
kanojo hasono okurimono ni odoroi ta.
She was surprised by the gift.
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How to remember 驚いた
Odoroita sounds like 'oh, deroy-ta', picture shouting 'oh!' as a surprise party jumps out and destroys your calm evening.
Related words
- jealous 嫉妬深い shittobukai
- proud 誇らしい hokorashii
- ashamed 恥ずかしい hazukashii
- embarrassed 恥ずかしい hazukashii
- confused 混乱している konran shiteiru
- curious 好奇心旺盛な koukishin'ousei na
- bored 退屈だ taikutsu da
- lonely 孤独だ kodoku da
- grateful 感謝している kanshashi teiru
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 驚いた
How do you pronounce 驚いた?
Pronounce oh-doh-ROY-ta, the middle syllable has a slight roll on the r, and the whole word moves quickly.
Is 驚いた formal or casual?
驚いた is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 驚いた written in Japanese?
驚いた is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as odoroi ta.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Surprised" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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