What does 驚く mean?
驚く is a Japanese verb meaning “to be surprised, to be astonished” in English. It can also be translated as “to be frightened” depending on context. It is written as 驚く in kanji, おどろく in hiragana, and odoroku in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N4 vocabulary.
Example sentences
知事は委員会の反応に驚いた。
The governor was surprised by the commission's response.
町の人々は地震に大変驚いた。
The townsfolk were frightened by the earthquake.
Conjugation of 驚く
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | 驚くおどろく | 驚かないおどろかない |
| Plain past | 驚いたおどろいた | 驚かなかったおどろかなかった |
| Polite | 驚きますおどろきます | 驚きませんおどろきません |
| Polite past | 驚きましたおどろきました | 驚きませんでしたおどろきませんでした |
Other forms
Te-form驚いておどろいて
Potential驚けるおどろける
Passive驚かれるおどろかれる
Volitional驚こうおどろこう
Causative驚かせるおどろかせる
Conditional驚けばおどろけば
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Transitive partner
驚く (it happens by itself)·驚かす (someone does it)
驚く describes something happening by itself. 驚かす describes someone doing it to something. Japanese keeps these apart where English often uses one verb for both.