Japanese

つい

つい
Meaning: accidentally; unintentionally; just (now); quite (near)
Part of Speech: Adverb

Listen to pronunciation

Example sentences

ダイエット中なのに、つい甘いものを食べてしまった。
Even though I'm on a diet, I accidentally ate something sweet.
忙しかったので、ついメールの返信を無視してしまった。
I was busy, so I accidentally ignored the email reply.
魔が差して、つい悪いことをしてしまった
I was possessed by an evil impulse and ended up doing something bad.
大事なプレゼンの前なので、つい力が入ってしまう。
Since it's before an important presentation, I unintentionally get too worked up.
頭がかゆかったので、つい掻いてしまった。
I was so itchy that I accidentally scratched my head.

Usage Notes

Used when you do something without meaning to, or to emphasize that a time or distance is very short.

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