Looking for expressions similar to なるほど or やっぱり for situations that are opposite of speakers' previous suspicion


This is an extension of the question: [Using なるほど (naruhodo) and やっぱり
(yappari) in the same
situation](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/432/using-naruhodo-
and-yappari-in-the-same-situation)

From what I understood from the answers to the question above, なるほど and やっぱり
imply the speaker's suspicion that he/she somehow and to some extent knows
about the situation before getting the affirmation from the other party.

However, what would the speaker say if it is revealed that the situation is
opposite to what he/she was suspecting? I know he/she can say "なに?" (with a
surprised face etc) but that is too strong an interjection, unlike the softer
なるほど or やっぱり. I guess in English it might be something like "oh dear me".
"なに?" sounds more like "OMG!" to me.




I'd say なるほど can be used in this situation, even if it contradicted your
expectations, since it basically expresses a neutral _"I see"_. Depending on
the situation this may be the best to choose, since you're not usually
supposed to show that you are thinking along completely different lines than
your interlocutor. You may later turn the conversation around to introduce
your point of view carefully, otherwise you keep it to yourself.

To show open surprise though, you might say あらま or あら、本当ですか、ええぇ〜、そうだったんだ、違ったんだ
and possibly many other things. (Note that these are colloquial versions,
change to そうでしたか etc. to be more formal.) Combinations work fine too:
えっ、本当ですか？なるほど。 You may want to show a little bit of surprise here and
there—whether it's true or not—to acknowledge that you have just received
valuable information which you would've missed otherwise (a backhanded Thank
You).




I'd say なるほど can be used in this situation, even if it contradicted your
expectations, since it basically expresses a neutral _"I see"_. Depending on
the situation this may be the best to choose, since you're not usually
supposed to show that you are thinking along completely different lines than
your interlocutor. You may later turn the conversation around to introduce
your point of view carefully, otherwise you keep it to yourself.

To show open surprise though, you might say あらま or あら、本当ですか、ええぇ〜、そうだったんだ、違ったんだ
and possibly many other things. (Note that these are colloquial versions,
change to そうでしたか etc. to be more formal.) Combinations work fine too:
えっ、本当ですか？なるほど。 You may want to show a little bit of surprise here and
there—whether it's true or not—to acknowledge that you have just received
valuable information which you would've missed otherwise (a backhanded Thank
You).

