つい: 'Without Meaning To' (Meaning + Examples)
Marking something you didn't mean to do
つい sits before a verb (often in た-form for a completed slip) and signals the action happened despite the speaker's intentions — a reflex, a habit, or a lapse in self-control.
やったんはついおやつを食べ過ぎてしまった。
やったんは つい おやつを たべすぎてしまった。
Yattan ended up overeating snacks without meaning to.
つい + 〜てしまう is a very common combo for regretted slips.
ののしりの言葉が彼の口をついて出てきた。
ののしりの ことばが かれの くちを ついて でてきた。
Curse words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them.
口をついて出る is a fixed idiom built on つい (from 突く, to well up suddenly).
モチと話していると、つい本音が出てしまう。
モチと はなしていると、つい ほんねが でてしまう。
When I talk with Mochi, my true feelings just slip out.
つい marks the honest reaction as unplanned, not deliberate.
Where it sits in the sentence
つい is an adverb, so it goes directly before the verb it modifies — it doesn't conjugate or attach to anything.
| Role | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Before a verb | つい + 動詞（て形＋しまう など） | つい笑ってしまった |
| Fixed idiom | 口をついて出る | 本音が口をついて出た |
事故で車のサイドをちょっとかすっただけなのに、こうじはついおびえていた。
じこで くるまの サイドを ちょっと かすっただけなのに、こうじは つい おびえていた。
Even though the accident only just grazed the side of the car, Koji couldn't help being scared.
つい can also describe a lingering, hard-to-shake reaction, not just a one-time slip.
Don't confuse with わざと or かえって
わざと means "on purpose" — the exact opposite of つい's "unintentionally." かえって means "on the contrary / rather" and compares an outcome against expectation, with no sense of losing control. Only つい carries the "it slipped out / I couldn't help it" nuance, which makes it the natural excuse word — 「つい言ってしまった」("it just came out") sounds like an apology, not a plan.
The short version
- つい = "unintentionally / without meaning to / before I realized it."
- Attaches to: nothing — it's an adverb placed directly before the verb, often with 〜てしまう.
- Nuance/register: casual, apologetic; used for slips, reflexes, and hard-to-control habits.
- Don't confuse with: わざと (on purpose) or かえって (on the contrary) — neither implies losing control.
Practice it
Choose つい when the sentence describes something that happened unintentionally or as a slip.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
こうじは＿＿＿ていた。交通事故でたった車のサイドをちょっとかすっただけだった。
Where つい fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜てしまう · N4 — 〜てしまう adds 'finish completely' or 'oops, ended up' to a verb. Learn the て-form formation, the regret nuance, past 〜てしまった, and the casual contractions 〜ちゃう / 〜じゃう.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜は別として — 〜は別として means 'setting X aside' or 'apart from X' — it brackets off one topic as a separate matter so the speaker can address something more pressing, without denying the bracketed topic's importance.
- 〜はもとより — 〜はもとより means 'not to mention X, Y too' — it names an obviously-true first case and then emphasizes that an even more surprising or extended second case also holds, similar to 'let alone' but adding rather than negating.
- 〜はともかく — 〜はともかく means 'leaving X aside' or 'whether or not X' — it sets one topic apart as not the main point right now, so attention can shift to something more relevant, without judging the set-aside topic.
- わずかに — わずかに is an adverb meaning 'slightly,' 'a little,' or 'barely' — it emphasizes that an amount, degree, or difference is very small, often surprisingly so, and can modify verbs, numbers, or nouns of quantity.
- 〜を兼ねて — 〜を兼ねて means 'combining X with' — one action that serves two purposes at once, like a trip that is both sightseeing and business. It attaches to a noun and signals efficient, dual-purpose action.
- 〜を契機に — 〜を契機に means 'triggered by' or 'taking X as the turning point' — a formal way to say an event caused a significant change. It attaches to a noun and is common in news about policy, society, and life changes.