Japanese word

つい

Pronunciation

Romajitsui

Meaning

  • adverbwithout meaning to

Example

私はつい甘い物を食べてしまいます。watashi wa tsu i ama i mono o ta be te shi ma i ma su

I eat sweets without meaning to.

Illustration for つい (without meaning to)

More examples

緊張すると、つい早口で話してしまいます。kin chō su ru to tsu i haya kuchi de hana shi te shi ma i ma su

When I get nervous, I speak too quickly without meaning to.

Core concept

Places an event near the speaker's immediate experience, marking either a sudden action without intention or an event that occurred a short time ago.

Common phrases

  • つい食べるtsu i ta be ru

    eat without meaning to

  • つい笑うtsu i wara u

    laugh without meaning to

  • つい口にするtsu i kuchi ni su ru

    say without meaning to

Similar words

思わずomowazu: An action occurs automatically in response to a feeling or situation, without time for thought.
うっかりukkari: An action occurs because attention is lacking or a detail is forgotten.
知らず知らずshirazushirazu: An action occurs without the person realizing or intending it.

Definition in Japanese

意図していないのに、思わずある行動をしてしまうさま。i to shi te i na i no ni omo wa zu a ru kō dō o shi te shi ma u sa ma

Word origin

The adverb つい (tsui, "without meaning to") is a native Japanese word, but its precise historical derivation is uncertain; modern Japanese normally writes it in hiragana.

Usage tips

  • The time sense of つい (tsui) refers to the recent past without fixing an exact number of minutes, so context determines how recent it is.

Other meanings

  • just nowadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word