つい

• Reading: つい
• Romaji: tsui
• Formation: つい + Verb（てしまう）

Meaning

An adverb meaning 'unintentionally' or 'inadvertently,' used when someone does something without meaning to or without being able to control the impulse. It conveys that the action happened against the speaker's better judgement or awareness.

つい describes actions that the speaker did not plan or want to do but could not help doing. It implies a momentary lapse of self-control — eating too much, blurting something out, or falling asleep when one should have stayed awake. It differs from うっかり, which suggests carelessness or absent-mindedness, while つい focuses on the inability to resist an impulse. It also differs from 思わず, which emphasises a reflexive reaction. つい often collocates with ～てしまう to reinforce the regrettable or unintended nature of the action. The pattern つい～がちだ expresses a habitual tendency to do something unintentionally.

Examples

1. 深夜にスマホを見始めると、つい夜更かししてしまう。 Once I start looking at my phone late at night, I end up staying up without meaning to.
2. 減量中なのに、目の前のケーキについ手が伸びてしまった。 Even though I was on a diet, I couldn't help reaching for the cake in front of me.
3. 秘密にしておくつもりだったのに、つい友人に話してしまった。 I had intended to keep it a secret, but I accidentally told a friend.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: regretful

Do Say

• 面白い小説を読み始めると、つい時間を忘れてしまう。
• つい余計なことを言ってしまい、相手を傷つけてしまった。
• 懐かしい写真を見ていたら、つい涙が出てしまった。
• セールの表示を見ると、つい必要のないものまで買ってしまう。

Don't Say

• つい勉強した。(Using つい for a deliberate, planned action — つい implies lack of control) → つい漫画を読んでしまい、勉強する時間がなくなった。
• つい電車が遅れた。(Applying つい to an external event beyond anyone's personal impulse) → 電車がまた遅れてしまった。

Origin & History

つい originates from the notion of proximity or immediacy, related to 追い (following closely). It developed an adverbial sense of something happening on impulse, as if one's action followed too closely behind the urge without the intervention of rational control.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal