Japanese

おどろく
Meaning: to be surprised; to be astonished
Part of Speech: Verb

Listen to pronunciation

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Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 驚く 驚かない
Polite 驚きます 驚きません
Past 驚いた 驚かなかった
Polite + Past 驚きました 驚きませんでした
Te-form 驚いて 驚かなくて
Potential 驚ける 驚けない
Passive 驚かれる 驚かれない
Causative 驚かせる 驚かせない
Causative + Passive 驚かされる 驚かされない
Imperative 驚け 驚くな

Handwriting

驚
く

Example sentences

The whole family was surprised by his sudden visit.
多くの人々がそのニュースに驚いた。
Many people were surprised by that news.
久しぶりに会った甥っ子が、ずいぶん大きくなっていて驚いた。
I was surprised to see how much my nephew had grown after not seeing him for a while.
彼の鋭い観察力にはいつも驚かされる。
I am always amazed by his keen powers of observation.
いや、これは驚きました
Oh, this is surprising.
自分でも驚くほど、その知らせは嬉しかった。
Even I was surprised at how happy I was to hear that news.
この店の商品はどれも驚くほど安い。
Every single item in this store is surprisingly cheap.
こりゃ、驚いたな。
Well, I'm surprised.
新年早々、大きな地震が発生して驚いた。
I was surprised by a large earthquake occurring right at the start of the New Year.
大きな音に驚いて、私はようやく我に返った。
Startled by the loud noise, I finally came to my senses.

Usage Notes

Used when someone is startled or amazed by something unexpected.

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