Translation guide
How to express that something happened unintentionally, without planning, or by chance in Japanese.
The action was not intended; it happened by mistake or carelessness.
Adverb meaning 'carelessly', 'absentmindedly', or 'without thinking'. Used when you do something by accident because you weren't paying attention.
Something happened without planning, as a result of luck or coincidence.
Something happened without being planned or scheduled.
Adverb meaning 'suddenly', 'without thinking', 'on a whim'. Used for spontaneous thoughts or actions.
うっかり is for careless mistakes (forgetting, overlooking). つい is for giving in to temptation or habit (eating too much, lying). 思わず is for involuntary physical/emotional reactions (laughing, screaming).
うっかり約束を忘れた。
I carelessly forgot the appointment.
つい甘いものを買ってしまった。
I ended up buying sweets (even though I shouldn't have).
思わず涙が出た。
Tears came out involuntarily.
駅で偶然彼女に会った。
I met her by accident at the station.
うっかり花瓶を割ってしまった。
I accidentally broke the vase.
たまたま会った。
We met by accident.
I accidentally told the secret.
うっかり電車を乗り過ごした。
I accidentally missed my stop.
Adverb meaning 'unintentionally' or 'against one's better judgment'. Often used for habitual or impulsive actions.
つい食べ過ぎてしまった。
I accidentally ate too much.
つい嘘をついてしまった。
I accidentally told a lie.
Adverb meaning 'involuntarily', 'without thinking'. Used when a reaction happens before you can stop it.
思わず笑ってしまった。
I laughed by accident.
思わず叫んでしまった。
I screamed by accident.
Te-form of 間違う (to make a mistake). Means 'by mistake' or 'erroneously'.
間違ってメールを消してしまった。
I accidentally deleted the email.
間違って違うボタンを押した。
I accidentally pressed the wrong button.
Te-form of うっかりする, meaning 'to be careless'. Used to explain the reason for an accident.
うっかりして財布を忘れた。
I accidentally forgot my wallet.
Noun/adverb meaning 'by chance', 'coincidentally'. Neutral and widely used.
偶然彼に会った。
I met him by accident.
偶然その店を見つけた。
I found that shop by accident.
Adverb meaning 'by chance', 'happened to'. Casual and very common in speech.
たまたま通りかかった。
I happened to pass by.
たまたま同じ電車に乗っていた。
We happened to be on the same train.
More emphatic form of 偶然, often used in writing or formal speech.
偶然にも同じ日に生まれた。
By accident, we were born on the same day.
ふと昔のことを思い出した。
I remembered the past by accident.
ふと空を見上げた。
I looked up at the sky by accident.
Adverb meaning 'casually', 'without much thought'. Implies doing something without a clear intention.
何気なく言った言葉が彼を傷つけた。
The words I said by accident hurt him.
偶然 is slightly more formal and can be used as a noun (偶然の出来事 - a chance event). たまたま is more colloquial and often implies a one-time coincidence.
それは偶然の一致だ。
That's a coincidence.
たまたまそこにいただけです。
I just happened to be there.
偶然 is slightly more formal and can be used as a noun (偶然の出来事 - a chance event). たまたま is more colloquial and often implies a one-time coincidence.
それは偶然の一致だ。
That's a coincidence.
たまたまそこにいただけです。
I just happened to be there.