This phrase shows your feelings about something. It tells how you feel about a fact or event. You might feel surprised, happy, or sad.
い-Adjective + ことに(は)Primary
な-Adjective + な + ことに(は)
Verb [た-form] + ことに(は)
This phrase shows your feelings about something. It tells how you feel about a fact or event. You might feel surprised, happy, or sad.
嬉しいことに、JLPT N1に合格した。
To my delight, I passed the JLPT N1.
息子が、驚いたことに、自分から部屋の掃除を始めた。
My son, to my surprise, started cleaning his room on his own.
残念なことに、彼はパーティーに来られなかった。
Unfortunately, he couldn't come to the party.
困ったことには、会議の重要な資料を家に忘れてきてしまいました。
The troubling thing is, I've gone and forgotten the important meeting documents at home.
不思議なことに、この古い時計はまだ正確に動いている。
Strangely enough, this old clock is still running accurately.
This phrase shows your feelings. It tells how you feel about what you are saying. It sets the mood for the whole sentence. Think of it like a spotlight on your emotion.
This is different from '〜ことから'. '〜ことに(は)' shows your feelings. It is about how you feel. '〜ことから' tells a reason for something. It is about facts. For example, 'To my surprise, he was the culprit' uses '〜ことに(は)'. 'He was suspected because he was at the scene' uses '〜ことから'.
Don't use this when you just state a fact. For example, you can't say "The building is 100 meters tall" with this grammar. You must use words that show feelings. These are words like "happy," "sad," or "surprised." You can also use words that show you are troubled or that something is unfortunate.
More formal alternatives(1)
Less formal alternatives(2)
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