Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
The basic meaning of 急に (きゅうに) is “suddenly,” “abruptly,” or “quickly and unexpectedly.”
🎯 Primary Function
It functions as an adverb, modifying verbs and adjectives to indicate that an action or state change happened suddenly or without prior warning.
📋 Grammar Structure
急に + Verb / Adjective
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Can be used in both formal and informal contexts, generally neutral.
Informal Situations
Commonly used in everyday conversation.
Written Language
Used in various forms of written language, from casual messages to formal reports.
Spoken Language
Very common in spoken Japanese.
💡 Common Applications
Describing sudden weather changes
Used to talk about unexpected shifts in weather.
Example: 急に雨が降ってきました。(Kyuu ni ame ga futte kimashita.) – It suddenly started raining.
Reporting unexpected events
Used to describe things that happened without planning or prediction.
Example: 彼が急に会社を辞めました。(Kare ga kyuu ni kaisha o yamemashita.) – He suddenly quit the company.
Expressing sudden feelings or actions
Used to talk about emotions or actions that occurred abruptly.
Example: 急に悲しくなりました。(Kyuu ni kanashiku narimashita.) – I suddenly became sad.
Frequency
Very frequently used in daily Japanese.
Difficulty
Relatively easy to understand, but important to distinguish from similar adverbs and its adjectival form.
Example Sentences
電車が急に止まりました。
The train suddenly stopped.
道で友達に急に会いました。
I suddenly met a friend on the street.
急に寒くなりましたね。
It suddenly got cold, hasn’t it?
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Adverb vs. Adjective
急に (kyuu ni) is the adverbial form modifying verbs and adjectives. 急な (kyuu na) is the adjectival form modifying nouns.
Example: 急に + 動詞 (verb): 急に走る (kyuu ni hashiru) – to run suddenly. 急な + 名詞 (noun): 急な用事 (kyuu na youji) – urgent errand.
Implies unexpectedness or speed
急に often suggests that something happened without much warning or preparation, or that it happened very quickly.
Example: 急に方向を変える (kyuu ni houkou o kaeru) – to suddenly change direction (implies both unexpectedness and speed).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using 急な instead of 急に before a verb/adjective
✅ Use 急に before verbs or i-adjectives/na-adjectives (in their adverbial forms like 寒くなりました).
急な is a na-adjective and directly modifies nouns, not verbs or adjectives.
❌ Confusing it with “quickly” (速く)
✅ While “suddenly” often implies speed, 急に focuses on the *abruptness* or *unexpectedness* of the start, whereas 速く (hayaku) focuses purely on the speed of the action itself.
雨が速く降る (ame ga hayaku furu) means the rain is falling quickly. 急に雨が降る (kyuu ni ame ga furu) means it started raining suddenly.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral. Suitable for most situations.
Social Situations: Widely used in casual and semi-formal conversations.
Regional Variations: No significant regional variations in the use of 急に itself.
🔍 Subtle Differences
急に (kyuu ni) vs. 突然 (totsuzen)
Both mean “suddenly.” 突然 often implies a greater degree of unexpectedness or surprise, sometimes even dramatic. 急に is more general and can simply mean “abruptly” or “quickly started.”
When to use: Use 急に for general suddenness. Use 突然 for events that are particularly surprising or come out of nowhere.
急に (kyuu ni) vs. いきなり (ikinari)
いきなり also means “suddenly” or “all of a sudden.” It can sometimes feel more abrupt or forceful than 急に, and in certain contexts, might carry a slightly less formal or even impolite nuance if used for polite actions, though it’s very common casually.
When to use: 急に is generally the safest and most common choice. いきなり is frequent in casual speech, often emphasizing the lack of warning.
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📝 Conjugation Notes
急に is an adverb and does not conjugate.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Pronounce きゅうに as “kyuu ni”. The ゅう (kyuu) is a long vowel sound.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of the kanji 急 (kyuu) which is also used in 緊急 (kinkyū – emergency). An emergency often happens suddenly or urgently. 急に is like an “emergency adverb”.
Practice Exercises
次の文の___に最も適切な言葉を選びなさい。空が暗くなって、___雨が降り始めた。
ゆっくり
静かに
急に
たぶん
「彼は___病気になった。」この文に合う言葉はどれですか？
毎日
よく
あまり
急に
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