Writing
意外 (yìwài) — how to say "unexpected" in Chinese
意外
Unexpected, accident
adjective · noun
Character composition
意
thought, meaning
外
outside, external
Radicals / Keys
夕
Evening
#36 · xī · 3 strokes
心
Heart
#61 · xīn · 4 strokes
Collocations
意外事故
yì wài shì gù
accident
意外发现
yì wài fā xiàn
unexpected discovery
感到意外
gǎn dào yì wài
feel surprised
Examples
他在路上遇到了一个意想不到的老朋友。
On the way, he met an unexpected old friend.
这是个意外。
This is an accident.
Frequently asked questions
Unexpected meaning in Chinese
"unexpected" in Chinese is 意外 (yìwài).
意外 meaning in English
意外 (yìwài) means "Unexpected, accident".
How is 意外 pronounced?
It is pronounced yìwài (written as yiwai). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "unexpected" in Chinese characters?
It is written 意外: 意 has 13 strokes, 外 has 5 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 意外?
意外 belongs to the HSK 5 vocabulary list.
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