～かと思うと／かと思ったら — No Sooner Than, Just When
Expresses that immediately after one thing happens, another (often surprising or contrasting) thing occurs. It means 'just when / no sooner had X than Y.' It highlights a quick, sometimes unexpected change, and the speaker is usually observing the events, not controlling them.
Structure
[Verb た-form] + かと思うと／かと思ったら
Examples
赤ちゃんは泣いたかと思うと、すぐに笑い出した。
Akachan wa naita ka to omou to, sugu ni waraidashita.
No sooner had the baby cried than it burst out laughing.
泣いた (た-form) + かと思うと marks the instant switch to the next action.
空が暗くなったかと思ったら、大雨が降ってきた。
Sora ga kuraku natta ka to omottara, ōame ga futte kita.
Just when the sky darkened, a heavy rain began to fall.
暗くなった (た-form) + かと思ったら introduces the immediately following event.
彼は帰ってきたかと思うと、また出かけて行った。
Kare wa kaette kita ka to omou to, mata dekakete itta.
No sooner had he come home than he went out again.
帰ってきた (た-form) + かと思うと shows the surprising quick reversal.
• The second clause is a past/spontaneous event, not the speaker's own planned action, command, or request. • Conveys surprise at an abrupt change; often two contrasting events. • Register: neutral to slightly literary; common in narration. • The subject is usually a third party or a natural phenomenon.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～かと思うと／かと思ったら is tested against.
vs とたん(に)
とたんに also means 'the moment X happened,' but is purely about timing; かと思うと adds a nuance of surprise or contrast at the sudden change.
vs が早いか
が早いか stresses near-simultaneity in formal/literary style; かと思うと highlights the speaker's surprise at an unexpected switch between two events.
More time expressions
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