Dictionary › 居然

居然

jū rán

Old HSK 5 HSK 3.0 level 5 2-character word

居然 (jū rán) means "unexpectedly". It is an HSK 3.0 level 5 word, and was HSK 5 in the old six-level list.

What 居然 means

1. unexpectedly
2. to one's surprise
3. go so far as to

How 居然 is used in grammar

居然 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Modal Adverbs: 毕竟、居然、明明、总算 (HSK 5)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 5, adverbs (语气副词).

The characters in 居然

• 居jūto reside; to be (in a certain position); to store up
• 然ráncorrect; right; so

Example sentences

• 我居然忘记了今天有课！
  I completely forgot that there was class today!
• 我没想到今天居然会哭的。
  Wǒ méi xiǎng dào jīntiān jūrán huì kū de.
  I never expected I would end up crying today.
• 都一天了，你居然还没有开始！
  Dōu yī tiān le, nǐ jūrán hái méiyǒu kāishǐ!
  How come you have not started yet after a day.
• 我很惊讶，你家居然有辆日本车。
  I am surprised that your family has a Japanese car.
• 我仍旧无法相信我居然做了这种事。
  Wǒ réngjiù wúfǎ xiāngxìn wǒ jūrán zuò le zhèzhǒng shì.
  I still can't believe I did it.
• 昨天我居然从新宿站走到了神保町！
  Zuótiān wǒ jūrán cóng Xīnsù zhàn zǒu dào le shén bǎo dīng!
  I actually ended up walking all the way from Shinjuku Station to Jimbocho yesterday!

Where 居然 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Haste, Urgency & Surprise (HSK 5), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 5 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read jū rán correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.