わざと

わ

ざ

と

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Describes an action done knowingly and with intent, often with a nuance of doing something one shouldn't or to provoke a reaction.

彼かれはわざと私わたしの質しつ問もんを無む視しした。
He deliberately ignored my question.
わざとじゃなかったんだ。
I didn't do it on purpose.

See all 125 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

わざと〈動どう詞し〉to do something on purpose
妹いもうとはわざと私わたしのケーキを食たべた。
My little sister ate my cake on purpose.
わざと〜ふりをするto deliberately pretend to do/be something
彼かれはわざと知しらないふりをした。
He deliberately pretended not to know.
わざとではないto say something wasn't done on purpose
これはわざとではありません。
This wasn't done on purpose.

Kanji

態attitude, condition, figure

Related words

故こ意いN1
故意 is a formal, often legal term for intentional action, while わざと is the everyday word used in casual conversation.
意い図と的てき
わざと is a casual everyday adverb for 'on purpose', while 意図的 is a formal adjectival noun used in writing or serious analysis.
あえてN2
わざと means doing something on purpose, often with a mischievous or negative nuance, while あえて implies daring to act against expectation or norm.
好このんで
わざと stresses that an act was done on purpose, often with a negative or mischievous nuance, while 好んで stresses that the act was done because the person actually likes or prefers it.

Opposites

うっかりN3
わざと means doing something on purpose, while うっかり means doing something accidentally or carelessly.
ついN3
わざと means doing something on purpose, the direct opposite of つい's sense of acting unintentionally.
何なに気げなくN1
わざと means doing something deliberately and on purpose, the opposite of 何気なく, which describes acting without particular intent.

Don't confuse with

わざわざN2
わざと means 'on purpose' (often with a negative nuance), whereas わざわざ means 'going to the trouble of doing something' despite the effort involved.

Word family

わざとらしい
unnatural; affected; forced; studied

Written forms

わざとUsage99%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 態と is rare.
態わざとUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should prefer the kana spelling.

Etymology

Derived from the noun 態 (わざ, 'deed, act') + the particle と, literally 'as an act'. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the word has been used adverbially since at least the Edo period.