～ことに (〜koto ni)
Explanation
Used to express feelings or emotions about a situation, action, or outcome.
Formation
Verb-casual + ことに / い-Adjective + ことに / な-Adjective + なことに / Noun + のことに
Detailed Explanation
The ～ことに grammar point is used to highlight the speaker’s feelings or emotional reaction toward a situation, action, or outcome. It often appears in constructions like 驚いたことに, 残念なことに, 不思議なことに, etc.
Examples
彼が急に帰国することに驚いた。
Kare ga kyuu ni kikoku suru koto ni odoroita.
I was surprised that he suddenly returned to his home country.
彼女が優勝したことに感動した。
Kanojo ga yuushou shita koto ni kandou shita.
I was moved by the fact that she won the championship.
彼がいつも遅刻することに腹が立つ。
Kare ga itsumo chikoku suru koto ni hara ga tatsu.
I get angry that he is always late.
彼女がこんなに美しいことに気がつかなかった。
Kanojo ga konna ni utsukushii koto ni ki ga tsukanakatta.
I hadn’t realized how beautiful she was.
Grammar content sourced from hanabira.org.