“〜と思いきや” means “I thought ~, but surprisingly …”.
It is used when the actual result is quite different from what was expected, often with a sense of surprise.
Examples
・宝くじに当たったと思いきや、番号が一つ違った。
(I thought I had won the lottery, but one number was different.)
Similar Grammar
〜と思ったら (I thought ~, but…)
→ Used when an event or change occurs immediately after another event.
→ It does not necessarily express surprise.
Example
雨が止んだと思ったら、また降り出した。
(I thought the rain had stopped, but it started again.)
Difference
• 〜と思いきや → unexpected, surprising result
• 〜と思ったら → does not have to be surprising; often focuses on timing
Summary
〜かと思いきや
• Can be used in both spoken and written language
• Expresses a stronger sense of surprise or unexpectedness
• Can describe both objective facts and subjective judgments