Hunches and surprises
Idioms, Stage 3chunk 13 of 22Noticing & the mind
Feelings about what's coming: it's nothing, a premonition, never saw it coming, a revelation.
- ki no seijust your imaginationliterally “the mind's fault”
- omoi mo yoranainever imagined, totally unexpectedliterally “not even reached by thought”
- yume ni mo omowanakattanever imagined, never dreamedliterally “didn't think it even in a dream”
- mushi no shirasea premonition (that came true)literally “a notice from the bug”
- me kara urokoa revelation that changes your viewliterally “scales from the eyes”
Mix-ups ki no sei (just your imagination) vs mushi no shirase (a feeling that proved right); omoi mo yoranai and yume ni mo omowanakatta both mean 'never imagined'.
ki no sei
“the mind's fault”
just your imagination
In English: it's all in your head
The stock reply when someone thinks they heard or saw something: ki no sei da yo (you're imagining it). About your own hunch it's ki no sei kana (maybe it's just me), often paired with ki ga suru.
Hedge form: ki no sei kana (maybe it's just me).
ki no sei da yo. nanimo kikoenai.
It's just your imagination. I can't hear anything.
気のせいだよ。何も聞こえない。
ki no sei desu yo. nanimo kikoemasen.
It's just your imagination. I can't hear anything.
気のせいですよ。何も聞こえません。
Written 気のせい · きのせいHeard 77× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside mushi no shirase
omoi mo yoranai
polite omoi mo yorimasen deshita
“not even reached by thought”
never imagined, totally unexpected
Mostly in the past, omoi mo yoranakatta (I never imagined), or before a noun, omoi mo yoranai tenkai (a turn nobody saw coming). It's a touch more neutral than yume ni mo omowanakatta and works in work talk too.
Plain alternative: omoi mo shinakatta (never even thought of it).
konna koto ni naru nante, omoi mo yoranakatta.
I never imagined it would come to this.
こんなことになるなんて、思いもよらなかった。
konna koto ni naru to wa, omoi mo yorimasen deshita.
I never imagined it would come to this.
こんなことになるとは、思いもよりませんでした。
Written 思いもよらない · おもいもよらないHeard 45× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside yume ni mo omowanakattaMain list omou (Stage 2), mo (Stage 2), -nai (Stage 1)
yume ni mo omowanakatta
polite yume ni mo omoimasen deshita
“didn't think it even in a dream”
never imagined, never dreamed
Said in the past, as ... nante yume ni mo omowanakatta (I never dreamed ...). It's for a big surprise, good or bad: running into a star, a friend getting married, a betrayal. Don't confuse it with yume o miru (have a dream while asleep).
Plain alternative: masaka (no way); casual: omoi mo shinakatta.
konna tokoro de au nante yume ni mo omowanakatta.
I never dreamed I'd run into you here.
こんなところで会うなんて夢にも思わなかった。
konna tokoro de au nante yume ni mo omoimasen deshita.
I never dreamed I'd run into you here.
こんなところで会うなんて夢にも思いませんでした。
Written 夢にも思わなかった · ゆめにもおもわなかったHeard 31× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside omoi mo yoranaiMain list omou (Stage 2), mo (Stage 2), -nai (Stage 1)
mushi no shirase
polite mushi no shirase desu
“a notice from the bug”
a premonition (that came true)
A hunch that turned out right, usually about bad news or someone close, often named afterwards: mushi no shirase datta no kana. The mushi is the old idea of a bug inside you that senses things. Ki no sei is the opposite: a feeling that turns out to be nothing.
Plain alternative: iya na yokan (a bad feeling).
mushi no shirase datta no kana. kyuu ni kaasan ni denwa shitara, nyuuin shiteta n da.
Maybe it was a premonition. I called Mum out of the blue, and she was in hospital.
虫の知らせだったのかな。急に母さんに電話したら、入院してたんだ。
mushi no shirase datta n deshou ka. kyuu ni haha ni denwa shitara, nyuuin shiteta n desu.
Maybe it was a premonition. I called my mother out of the blue, and she was in hospital.
虫の知らせだったんでしょうか。急に母に電話したら、入院してたんです。
Written 虫の知らせ · むしのしらせHeard 9× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside ki no seiMain list kana (Stage 1), kyuu ni (Stage 2), -tara (Stage 2), -teru (Stage 1), n da (Stage 1)
me kara uroko
“scales from the eyes”
a revelation that changes your view
In English: an eye-opener
Said after a tip, a fact or a trick that changes how you see something: kore wa me kara uroko datta (that was a real eye-opener). It's casual and a TV favourite. The full saying, me kara uroko ga ochiru, is rarer in talk.
Full form: me kara uroko ga ochiru.
kono urawaza, maji de me kara uroko datta.
This trick was a real eye-opener.
この裏技、マジで目からウロコだった。
kono urawaza, hontou ni me kara uroko deshita.
This trick was a real eye-opener.
この裏技、本当に目からウロコでした。
Written 目からウロコ · めからうろこHeard 3× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles