Japanese word

わざと

Pronunciation

Romajiwazato

Meaning

  • adverbon purpose

Example

彼はわざと間違えました。kare wa wa za to ma chiga e ma shi ta

He made a mistake on purpose.

Illustration for わざと (on purpose)

More examples

その子はわざと水をこぼしました。so no ko wa wa za to mizu o ko bo shi ma shi ta

The child spilled the water on purpose.

Core concept

Describes an action carried out with conscious intent rather than by accident.

Common phrases

  • わざと隠すwa za to kaku su

    hide on purpose

  • わざと忘れるwa za to wasu re ru

    forget on purpose

  • わざと遅れるwa za to oku re ru

    be late on purpose

Similar words

故意にkoini: It marks an action as intentional, often in a formal or legal context.
わざわざwazawaza: It describes an action done deliberately, often with extra effort that is not necessary.
あえてaete: It shows that someone does something deliberately despite a possible reason not to.

Definition in Japanese

意図して、故意に物事をするさま。i to shi te ko i ni mono goto o su ru sa ma

Word origin

The native adverb わざと (wazato) combines わざ (waza, "act or deed") with と (to, "adverb-forming particle") to express deliberate action.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, わざと (wazato) can show that a mistake was intentional, while the context can make the action sound playful or blameworthy.

Opposites

Related words

  • わざとらしいwazatorashiiaffectedi-adjective

Word lists with this word