“〜koto ni (wa)”: 〜ly, … / What's 〜 Is That… (an emphatic emotion opener) [JLPT N3]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
A sentence-initial adverb expressing the speaker's feeling about something
「驚いたことに、宝くじが当たった」 — fronting emotion, “what's ~ is…”
「驚いたことに、宝くじが当たった」 (to my surprise, I won the lottery) — 「(emotion adjective／verb た-form) ＋ ことに」 at the head of a sentence means “what's ~ is…,” first flagging the speaker's emotion (surprise, joy, regret), then stating the fact. This guide covers 「ことに」's attachment, that “emotion fronted” feel, and separates it from 「ことだから／ものだ」 (and warns against confusing it with the conditional 「ないことには」).
Core: flag the emotion first, then state the fact
「〜ことに」 = “fronted emotional exclamation” — placing the speaker's feeling about something (surprise, joy, regret) at the head for emphasis, letting the listener know your mood before the fact:
- 驚いたことに = to my surprise: 驚いたことに、彼は満点だった (to my surprise, he got a perfect score).
- 残念なことに = regrettably: 残念なことに、雨で中止になった (regrettably, it was canceled due to rain).
Feel: “(I find it) ~ that…” — stating the emotion first, then the fact, giving the narration feeling.
How to Connect
| Word class | Attachment | Example |
|---|---|---|
| emotion i-adjective | i-adj ＋ ことに | 嬉しいことに |
| emotion na-adjective | na-form ＋ な ＋ ことに | 残念なことに |
| emotion verb た-form | た-form ＋ ことに | 驚いたことに |
Examples in use
- 驚いたことに、宝くじが当たった。(To my surprise, I won the lottery.) — surprise
- 嬉しいことに、第一志望に合格した。(To my joy, I got into my first choice.) — joy
- 残念なことに、彼は来られなかった。(Regrettably, he couldn't come.) — regret
- 困ったことに、財布を家に忘れてきた。(Troublingly, I left my wallet at home.) — trouble
- 意外なことに、面接で聞かれたのは料理の腕前だった。(Unexpectedly, what they asked at the interview was my cooking skill.) — surprise
⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid
① Only with ‘emotion' words (驚いた・嬉しい・残念…). ことに only takes words of emotion, feeling (驚いた, 嬉しい, 残念な, 困った, 幸いな, 意外な); ✗ 歩いたことに、駅に着いた (walk isn't an emotion word — unnatural). It's only for “what's (some emotion) is….”
② Don't end with 「だ」 after ことに. ✗ 残念なことにだ、彼は来なかった → ✓ 残念なことに、彼は来なかった. 「ことに」 is itself the “what's ~ is” front-piece; the fact clause follows directly, no 「だ」.
③ Don't confuse it with the conditional 「〜ないことには」. They look alike but mean entirely different things! (emotion word) ＋ ことに = what's ~ is (exclamation) (嬉しいことに = to my joy); (verb ない-form) ＋ ことには = unless… (condition) (やってみないことには分からない = unless you try, you won't know). One is an emotional exclamation, the other a condition (unless); the preceding word (emotion vs verb ない-form) and the meaning both differ — don't mix them.
🔄 Compare: ことに／ことだから／ことか／ものだ
| Form | Feel | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜ことに | what's ~ is (fronted emotional exclamation) | 驚いたことに |
| 〜ことだから | since it's… (inferring from someone's traits) | 彼のことだから |
| 〜ことか | how ~! (strong exclamation) | どんなに嬉しいことか |
| 〜ものだ | that's how it is / how ~ it is | 時間がたつのは早いものだ |
💡 The one thing to remember
The core of 「ことに」 is “a fronted emotional exclamation — flag the mood first, then state the fact”: 驚いたことに (to my surprise), 嬉しいことに (to my joy), 残念なことに (regrettably), 困ったことに (troublingly). It places the speaker's emotion at the head for emphasis, giving the narration feeling, and is written, narrative (common in news, novels, diaries, reflective essays). Three points: ① only with emotion words (✗ 歩いたことに); ② attach by word type (i-adj directly, na-adj ＋ な, verb た-form); ③ don't confuse it with the conditional 「ないことには (unless)」 — that's a completely different pattern. To flag “what's (surprising/joyful/regrettable) is” before the narration, ことに is flavorful.
❓ FAQ
Q: What words can precede 「ことに」? How does attachment work?
Only words of emotion, feeling (since it's “what's (some emotion) is”). By word type: ① emotion i-adjective ＋ ことに: 嬉しいことに (to my joy), ありがたいことに (thankfully), 悲しいことに (sadly) — i-adj attaches directly. ② emotion na-adjective ＋ な ＋ ことに: 残念なことに (regrettably), 意外なことに (unexpectedly), 幸いなことに (fortunately) — na-adj adds 「な」. ③ emotion verb た-form ＋ ことに: 驚いたことに (to my surprise), 困ったことに (troublingly), あきれたことに (to my dismay) — emotion verbs use the た-form. Common thread: it's always an emotion word. ✗ 走ったことに, ✗ 食べたことに (run, eat aren't emotion words). Mnemonic: before ことに, use a ‘surprise/joy/regret/trouble' emotion word (i-adj directly, na-adj adds な, verb た-form).
Q: Are 「〜ことに」 and 「〜ないことには」 the same?
Completely different! They look alike, but meaning and use are worlds apart: 「(emotion word) ＋ ことに」 = what's ~ is (an emotional exclamation, at the head): 嬉しいことに、合格した (to my joy, I passed — flagging emotion first), 驚いたことに、無事だった (to my surprise, they were safe). It takes an emotion word, its role being “fronting emotion.” 「(verb ない-form) ＋ ことには」 = unless… (a conditional, a necessary condition): やってみないことには、分からない (unless you try, you won't know), 実物を見ないことには、決められない (unless I see the actual item, I can't decide). It takes a verb ない-form, its role being “stating a necessary condition (unless…),” usually followed by a negative or non-committal result. So: “what's ~ is” (emotion) → (emotion word) ことに; “unless…” (condition) → (verb ない-form) ないことには. One is an exclamation, the other a condition; the preceding word is completely different (emotion word vs verb ない-form) — never mix them.
🖊️ Practice Questions (5)
Q1. 「___ことに、宝くじが当たった。」(Surprisingly, I won the lottery)
(A) 驚いた (B) 走った (C) 食べた (D) 書いた
Q2. 「残念___ことに、彼は来られなかった。」(na-adjective conjugation)
(A) な (B) だ (C) の (D) に
Q3. 「ことに」が接するのは?
(A) Emotion words (驚いた・うれしい・残念な, etc.)
(B) Any action verb
(C) Nouns
(D) Quantifiers / counters
Q4. 「うれしいことに、合格した」の構造は?
(A) First states the emotion (happily), then states the fact
(B) Indicates cause
(C) Indicates condition
(D) Indicates contrast
Q5. 用法が自然なのは?
(A) 困ったことに、鍵をなくした。 (B) 歩いたことに、駅に着いた。
(C) 食べたことに、おいしい。 (D) 高いことに、買った。
Answer Explanations
1. (A) 驚いた ── Emotion word ＋ ことに.
2. (A) な ── na-adjective 「残念」 ＋ な ＋ ことに.
3. (A) ── Attaches to emotion words.
4. (A) ── First the emotion, then the fact.
5. (A) ── 「困ったことに」is natural; the others aren't emotion words, so they don't fit.