Japanese word

わざわざ

Pronunciation

Romajiwazawaza

Meaning

  • adverbgo out of one's way

Example

わざわざ来てくれて、ありがとうございます。wa za wa za ki te ku re te a ri ga tō go za i ma su

Thank you for going out of your way to come.

Illustration for わざわざ (go out of one's way)

More examples

彼は遠い店までわざわざ買いに行きました。kare wa tō i mise ma de wa za wa za ka i ni i ki ma shi ta

He went all the way to a distant store to buy it.

Core concept

It highlights an intentional extra step taken for a particular purpose, often with more effort than the situation normally requires.

Common phrases

  • わざわざ来るwa za wa za ku ru

    go out of one's way to come

  • わざわざ届けるwa za wa za todo ke ru

    go out of one's way to deliver

  • わざわざ調べるwa za wa za shira be ru

    go out of one's way to check

Similar words

あえてaete: To deliberately choose to do something unusual or difficult for a purpose.
わざとwazato: To do something knowingly and intentionally, sometimes with an undesirable result.
せっかくsekkaku: With special effort or a valuable opportunity that should not be wasted.

Definition in Japanese

特別な手間をかけて、あえて何かをするさま。toku betsu na te ma o ka ke te a e te nan ka o su ru sa ma

Word origin

The native Japanese adverb わざわざ (wazawaza) repeats わざ (waza, "act or effort"), emphasizing that an action is undertaken with special intention or effort.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, わざわざ (wazawaza) can show appreciation for extra effort, but it can also suggest that the effort was unnecessary, depending on the tone.

Other meanings

  • especiallyadverb
  • expresslyadverb

Word lists with this word