จู่ๆ
suddenly
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- 1 suddenly、unexpectedly、out of the blue
Describes something happening suddenly and without warning, often in a way that surprises the speaker.
suddenly、unexpectedly、out of the blue
Indicates that an event or action occurs abruptly, with no warning or apparent lead-up.
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จู่ๆ ฝนก็ตก cùu cùu fǒn kɔ̂ɔ tòk Suddenly, it started raining. จู่ๆ ฝนก็ตก details
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จู่ๆ เขาก็หายไป cùu cùu khǎw kɔ̂ɔ hǎay pay He suddenly disappeared. จู่ๆ เขาก็หายไป details
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จู่ๆ ทำไมถามแบบนี้ cùu cùu thammay thǎam bɛ̀ɛp níi Why are you asking that out of the blue? จู่ๆ ทำไมถามแบบนี้ details
Learning notes
Explanation
จู่ๆ does not mean merely that something happens quickly. Its central idea is that the event has no warning or predictable lead-up. It often conveys surprise, confusion, or mild criticism of someone's abrupt behavior. A very common pattern is “จู่ๆ + subject + ก็ + verb.” For example, จู่ๆ เขาก็ร้องไห้ means “He suddenly started crying.” In this pattern, ก็ helps introduce the unexpected event rather than meaning “also.” The form จู่ ๆ, with a space before the repetition mark, is common in formally spaced text, while จู่ๆ is frequently seen in chats and other informal writing.
Usage
Commonly used for unexpected changes in weather, someone suddenly crying, becoming angry, or disappearing, and unannounced visits or messages. It is also natural when reacting with surprise or confusion to a question or action that seems unrelated to the preceding conversation.
Caution
ทันที means “immediately,” often referring to a prompt response or what happens right after something else, without necessarily implying surprise. เร็วๆ concerns speed or doing something soon. Neither is interchangeable with จู่ๆ, which emphasizes the lack of warning.
Differences from similar words
1 suddenly synonyms
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กะทันหัน broadly describes abrupt events or changes and can also modify nouns. จู่ๆ mainly functions adverbially to introduce something that happens without warning or a clear lead-up.