JLPT N3 Vocabulary – Difference between “うっかり” and “つい”

Table of Contents
1. Difference between “うっかり” and “つい”
2. うっかり
3. つい
4. Let’s Compare
5. Summary
6. Quiz
7. Similar Articles
8. Comment
Q: What is the difference between “うっかり” and “つい”?
A: Both describe actions that occur from inattentiveness, but they have slight differences in meaning and nuance.
うっかり (JLPT N3)
[Meaning]
①Due to carelessness
②Without realizing it
[Verbs commonly used together]
忘れる(forget), 言う(say), 話す(talk), 落とす(drop), する(do), 乗り過ごす(miss (a stop)), 倒す(knock over), 壊す(break), 寝る(sleep)
[Examples]
彼女の誕生日をうっかり忘れていました。(①)
I accidentally forgot her birthday.
うっかり鍵を家に置いてきてしまい、入れなくなりました。(①)
I accidentally left my keys at home and couldn’t get in.
うっかり寝てしまっていました。(②)
Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
うっかりアレルギーのある食べ物を食べてしまいました。(②)
Without realizing it, I ate something I’m allergic to.
“うっかり” describes mistakes or accidents that happen due to carelessness or without realizing it.
[Examples]
会議の時間をうっかり忘れていました。
I carelessly forgot the time of the meeting.
⇒ This expresses that the meeting time was forgotten due to carelessness.
降りる駅をうっかり乗り過ごしていました。
I didn’t realize it and ended up missing my stop.
⇒ This conveys that the intended station was passed without noticing.
つい (JLPT N3)
[Meaning]
①Unconsciously
②Doing something even though that wasn’t the intention
[Verbs commonly used together]
言う(say), 話す(talk), 食べる(eat), 買う(buy), 見る(see), 使う(use), 笑う(laugh)
[Examples]
楽しくてつい時間を忘れていました。(①)
I was having so much fun that I lost track of time.
ダイエット中だけど、お菓子を見るとつい食べてしまいます。(①)
Even though I’m on a diet, I can’t help but eat sweets when I see them.
社長の真面目な話がおもしろくて、つい笑ってしまいました。(②)
The president’s serious talk was so amusing that I couldn’t help but laugh.
仕事でミスをしたとき、ついうそをついてしまいました。(②)
When I made a mistake at work, I ended up telling a lie without thinking.
“つい” expresses actions done unconsciously or on impulse, even when there was no intention to do so.
[Examples]
このおかしがおいしくて、いつもつい食べすぎてしまいます。
This snack is so delicious that I always overeat without meaning to.
⇒ This indicates that the snack is eaten without thinking.
笑ってはいけないと思っていたのに、つい笑ってしまいました。
I knew I shouldn’t laugh, but I couldn’t help myself and laughed.
⇒ This conveys that, despite intending not to laugh, laughter happened impulsively.
Let’s Compare
First, let’s consider the difference when this adverb is included or not.
“会議の時間を忘れていた。” VS “会議の時間をうっかり忘れていた。”
The latter emphasizes carelessness or the sense of a mistake.
“笑ってはいけないと思っていたのに、笑ってしまった。” VS “笑ってはいけないと思っていたのに、つい笑ってしまった。”
The second version implies resisting the urge to laugh but failing despite knowing it was inappropriate.
Now, let’s look at how the nuance changes in these cases:
[Examples]
うっかりひみつを話してしまいました。
I carelessly revealed the secret.
VS
ついひみつを話してしまいました。
I ended up revealing the secret without meaning to.
“うっかり” expresses that it happened out of carelessness, while “つい” suggests an inability to resist, even though revealing it was unintended.
Finally, which expression is more suitable in this case?
[Examples]
おいしそうなにおいがするおかしをうっかり食べてしまった。
I carelessly ate the delicious-smelling snack.
VS
おいしそうなにおいがするおかしをつい食べてしまった。
I couldn’t resist and ended up eating the delicious-smelling snack.
Here, “つい” is more natural, as it conveys that the tempting aroma was an external factor making it difficult to resist. In situations where an external trigger leads to acting unintentionally, “つい” is a more fitting expression.
Summary
[うっかり]
- Describes mistakes or accidents that happen due to carelessness or without realizing it.
- Emphasizes unintended errors or failures due to lack of awareness.
[つい]
- Refers to actions done unconsciously or without meaning to, often expressing behavior that occurred impulsively despite initial intentions.
- It is also used to describe actions that are hard to resist due to external factors.
Quiz
Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.
Click on the question to check the answer.
A. うっかり
うっかりスマホを落として画面が割れてしまいました。
I carelessly dropped my smartphone, and the screen cracked.
* “うっかり” is correct here, as it emphasizes that this was due to carelessness.
A. うっかり
結婚記念日をうっかり忘れていて妻に怒られました。
I carelessly forgot our wedding anniversary and got in trouble with my wife.
*”うっかり” is appropriate because it highlights both the oversight and the resulting mistake.
A. つい
つい話し過ぎて時間を忘れていました。
I got caught up in talking and lost track of time.
*”つい” fits here because time passed unconsciously or without realizing it.
A. つい
店員さんがほめてくれたのでついその服を買ってしまいました。
The store clerk complimented me, and I ended up buying the clothes.
*”つい” is suitable, as the clerk’s compliment served as an external factor that made it hard to resist.
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