How to say "deliberately" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- adverbCovers deliberately doing something needless, unexpected, or seemingly counterproductive — going against the natural course on purpose, often with a nuance of daring or defiance.
- adverbThe usual word for deliberately doing something bad or annoying: acting with intent, as in doing something on purpose to provoke or inconvenience someone.
- adverb (with と)A mimetic word meaning slowly, carefully, and thoroughly; 'deliberately' here describes unhurried, careful action, not intention. It is not the word for doing something on purpose.
- 好んでこのんでadverbMeans by choice or by preference — doing something of one's own free will because one likes it. It matches 'deliberately' only loosely and is rarely the word you want.
- adverbIntentionally or on purpose, typically for something that takes special trouble or effort, often when the effort seems unnecessary or the result not worth it.
For intentional acts use 「わざと」 or 「わざわざ」; for choosing to do something unexpected or seemingly unwise use 「あえて」; 「じっくり」 means doing things slowly and carefully, and 「好んで」 means by preference.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
