こっそり

こ

っ

そ

り

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle

stealthily; secretly; on the sly

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes doing something quietly and secretly so as not to be noticed by others. Often used with verbs of movement, communication, or action.

彼かれはこっそり部屋へやを抜ぬけ出だした。
He slipped out of the room stealthily.
こっそり教おしえてあげるね。
I'll tell you secretly.

See all 84 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

こっそり〈場ば所しょ〉に入はいるto sneak into a place
彼かれは夜よ中なかにこっそり部屋へやに入はいった。
He sneaked into the room in the middle of the night.
こっそり〈物もの〉を持もち出だすto secretly take something out
妹いもうとはこっそりお菓か子しを持もち出だした。
My little sister secretly took out some snacks.
こっそり〈場ば所しょ〉を抜ぬけ出だすto slip out of a place unnoticed
生せい徒とたちは授じゅ業ぎょう中ちゅうにこっそり教きょう室しつを抜ぬけ出だした。
The students slipped out of the classroom unnoticed during class.

Related words· 7

内ない緒しょN3
内緒 focuses on keeping information a secret from others, while こっそり focuses on the quiet, unnoticed manner of an action.
こそこそN2
こっそり describes doing something quietly and discreetly without necessarily implying guilt, while こそこそ suggests a furtive, guilty-looking manner.
そっとN3
こっそり strongly implies hiding an action out of guilt or furtiveness, while そっと can simply mean doing something gently or quietly without that implication.
目めを盗ぬすむN1
こっそり is a general adverb meaning 'secretly' or 'stealthily' usable with almost any verb, while 目を盗む specifically emphasizes evading a particular person's watchful gaze.

Show 3 more

人ひと知しれずN1
こっそり is a casual word for doing something furtively or sneakily, while 人知れず is more literary and describes quiet, unobserved effort or emotion without implying mischief.
ひそひそN1
こっそり means doing something secretly or covertly in general, whereas ひそひそ is specifically about talking quietly so as not to be overheard.
密ひそかN1
こっそり is a casual adverb emphasizing sneaky, furtive action, while 密か is a more literary na-adjective that can describe hidden feelings as well as actions.

Opposites

堂どう々どうN1
堂々 describes acting openly and boldly in front of others, the opposite of こっそり's secretive, unnoticed manner.
でかでかN1
でかでか describes doing something conspicuously and boldly, while こっそり describes doing something secretly and inconspicuously.

Don't confuse with

ひっそりN2
こっそり means doing something secretly or stealthily to avoid being noticed, while ひっそり describes quiet stillness or an unobtrusive lifestyle without implying concealment.

Written forms

こっそりUsage96%
Standard hiragana spelling; the most common written form.
コッソリUsage4%
Katakana variant used for emphasis or in informal writing.

Etymology

A mimetic word (onomatopoeia) derived from the sound-symbolic root こそ- (sneaky, stealthy) with the geminate っ and adverbial ending り. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.