Not to be confused with 事(こと) ‘thing’, 殊(こと) is a 副詞(ふくし) (adverb) with the same reading that often appears in hiragana, specifically to highlight that something is to a ‘great extent’. Due to being used adverbially, 殊(こと) will be followed by に. The kanji 殊(こと) itself has the meaning of ‘particularly’.
This expression is regularly seen after verbs, い or
な-Adjectives. When 殊(こと) has the meaning of ‘particularly’, ‘especially’, or ‘to my (A)’, it is almost always describing some kind of feeling or emotion.
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ビックリすることに、久(ひさ)しぶりに小学生(しょうがくせい)時代(じだい)の友達(ともだち)から電話(でんわ)がかかってきた。
I am especially surprised that I got a phone call from a friend from elementary school after such a long time.
珍(めずら)しいことに、彼(かれ)がいいレストランに連(つ)れていってくれた。
It is particularly rare to be taken to a nice restaurant by him.
残念(ざんねん)なことに、その商品(しょうひん)はもう販売(はんばい)中止(ちゅうし)になりました。
Unfortunately, that product is no longer being sold.
In most situations, ‘(A)
ことに (B)’ can be translated quite literally as ‘to a particularly (A) extent, (B)’.
A very common expression
幸(さいわ)いなことに uses this particular grammar structure as a set phrase, and is often translated simply as ‘fortunately’, or ‘luckily’.
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幸(さいわ)いなことに、近所(きんじょ)の人(ひと)が私(わたし)の猫(ねこ)を見(み)つけて家(いえ)まで届(とど)けてくれた。
Fortunately, my neighbor found our cat for us, and brought her home.
Although it is quite uncommon, こと may also be seen as 異(こと), a kanji meaning ‘irregular’.