寝耳に水（ねみみにみず）
JLPT N1 · noun
Meaning: a bolt from the blue/surprise news
Example sentences
- 突然の知らせは寝耳に水だった。 — The sudden news came completely out of the blue.
- 寝耳に水で驚く。 — He was caught totally off guard.
Related words
See it used in real works
- Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
- Hear “寝耳に水” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)