Japanese word

思わず

Pronunciation

Romajiomowazu

Meaning

  • adverbwithout meaning to

Example

その話を聞いて、思わず笑いました。so no hanashi o ki i te omo wa zu wara i ma shi ta

I laughed without meaning to when I heard that story.

Illustration for 思わず (without meaning to)

More examples

美しい景色を見て、思わず立ち止まりました。utsuku shi i keshiki o mi te omo wa zu ta chi do ma ri ma shi ta

I stopped without meaning to when I saw the beautiful scenery.

Core concept

Describes a spontaneous action that escapes deliberate control when a feeling or impulse arises.

Common phrases

  • 思わず笑うomo wa zu wara u

    laugh without meaning to

  • 思わず声を上げるomo wa zu koe o a ge ru

    let out a cry involuntarily

Similar words

ついtsui: It describes doing or saying something unintentionally because of a passing impulse or habit.
ふとfuto: It describes an action or thought that arises suddenly without deliberate planning.
反射的にhanshatekini: It describes an action produced automatically in response to a stimulus or feeling.

Definition in Japanese

そうしようと考えていなかったのに、自然にある行動が起こるさま。sō shi yō to kanga e te i na ka tta no ni shi zen ni a ru kō dō ga o ko ru sa ma

Word origin

思わず (omowazu) is formed from 思う (omou, "to think or intend") and ず (zu, "not"), an old negative auxiliary, so its form expresses not intending an action.

Usage tips

  • 思わず (omowazu) commonly introduces laughter, tears, or speech that occurs before the speaker has consciously decided to produce it.

Other meanings

  • instinctivelyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word