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I heard the expression [意]{い}[外]{がい}といい in a video. I know that 意外に expresses something you didn't expect:

意外においしいよ。
It's delicous! (and I didn't expect that)

Why did I hear 意外と instead of 意外に? Is that a specific dialect? Or, is it standard Japanese?

Troyen
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daniel tomio
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1 Answers1

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“いがいといい” is “[意外]{いがい}と[良]{い}い” (unexpectedly good).

意外と is a less traditional synonym for 意外に (unexpectedly), the latter being the 連用形 (continuative form) of the na-adjective 意外だ.

Tsuyoshi Ito
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  • Can I change 意外に to 意外と in all cases?　　 Example:　　 意外と簡単。　　 意外とも、昨日は天気予報があたった。　　 意外と知られていない？ – daniel tomio Oct 30 '11 at 22:58
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    @danieltomio: 意外にも cannot be replaced with 意外とも, and therefore the second example in your comment is incorrect. Otherwise I think that 意外に can be replaced with 意外と. The first and the third examples in your comment are correct. Note that because using 意外と for 意外に is a new usage, some people consider it incorrect. – Tsuyoshi Ito Oct 30 '11 at 23:52