愕然

• 読み: がくぜん
• ローマ字: gakuzen
• 漢字の分解: 愕 (gaku) — astonishment, alarm; 然 (zen) — suffix indicating state or manner
• 発音: /ɡa.kɯ.ze.ɴ/

意味

Astonished; shocked; stunned; aghast. Describes a state of being struck speechless by an unexpected or disturbing revelation.

A taru-adjective used adverbially as 愕然と(する) — to be struck dumb with astonishment. It conveys a stronger, more visceral shock than 驚く and often implies that the surprising news is negative or deeply unsettling. Common in literary and journalistic writing.

例文

1. 突然の解雇通告に愕然とした。
2. 彼は事件の詳細を聞いて愕然とした様子だった。
3. 試験の結果を見て、愕然として言葉を失った。

使い方ガイド

場面: literary writing, journalism, storytelling

トーン: dramatic

起源と歴史

From 愕 (gaku) meaning 'astonishment' or 'startled' and 然 (zen) a suffix indicating a state or manner. The character 愕 depicts the heart (心) combined with a component suggesting alarm.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal