急に (きゅうに) — Suddenly / All of a sudden
An adverb meaning 'suddenly' or 'all of a sudden.' Indicates that an event occurred unexpectedly and abruptly, without warning.
Structure
急に + [verb]
Examples
急に雨が降り始めた。
Kyuu ni ame ga furihajimeta.
It suddenly started raining.
急に + 降り始めた (started to fall) = suddenly began
仕事中に急に電話が鳴った。
Shigoto chuu ni kyuu ni denwa ga natta.
The phone suddenly rang while I was working.
急に + 鳴った = unexpected interruption
急に寒くなった。
Kyuu ni samuku natta.
It suddenly got cold.
急に + 寒くなった (became cold)
• 急に vs 突然 vs いきなり — all mean 'suddenly.' • 急に = suddenly/abruptly (a change of state or event), neutral and very common. • 突然 = all of a sudden (surprising events, slightly more formal/dramatic). • いきなり = out of nowhere (very abrupt, often with no warning, sometimes negative: いきなり怒った = got angry out of nowhere).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones 急に is tested against.
vs 突然 (totsuzen)
突然 is more formal/dramatic and stresses the shock of an event; 急に is the everyday neutral 'suddenly' and often marks a change of state (急に寒くなった).
vs いきなり
いきなり stresses zero warning/preparation and often has a nuance of rudeness or abruptness in someone's action; 急に is neutral.
More adverbs
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