connective N2 common casualpolitewritten
〜かと思うと — just when ~ / no sooner... than
〜かと思うと ・ かとおもうと
Meaning
- no sooner had ~ than / just when ~ / one moment ~, the next ~ — a first event is immediately followed, often surprisingly, by a contrasting second one
Key sentence
空が暗くなったかと思うと、急に雨が降り出した。
No sooner had the sky darkened than it suddenly began to pour.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain past / た-form) | V-た + かと思うと / かと思ったら | 着いた → 着いたかと思うと |
When: Describes something the speaker observed; the second clause cannot be a command, request, or the speaker's own plan.
Examples
泣いていたかと思うと、もう笑っている。
One moment she was crying, and the next she's already laughing.
彼は帰ってきたかと思ったら、すぐにまた出かけた。
He had barely gotten home when he went out again.
When you can't use it
- The subject is someone/something the speaker watches, not the speaker. ×「私は座ったかと思うと立った」is odd — use it for a third party's abrupt change, not your own deliberate actions.
Easily confused with
〜た途端 た途端 stresses the single instant one event triggers another (ドアを開けた途端); かと思うと adds 'and then, surprisingly, the opposite/next thing' — often two contrasting states in quick succession. 〜や否や や否や is literary 'the instant ~' with a plain immediate sequel; かと思うと carries the speaker's mild surprise at how fast or unexpectedly the second event follows.
See 〜かと思うと in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜かと思うと the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.