1.
unintentionally, involuntarily, spontaneously
Doing something without meaning to; an action that happens reflexively or without conscious intention.
思わず笑ってしまった。
I couldn't help but laugh.
彼の顔を見て思わず泣いた。
Seeing his face, I involuntarily cried.
おいしそうで}{思わず手が伸びた。
It looked so delicious that I involuntarily reached for it.
懐かしい写真を見て、思わず涙が出た。
Seeing the nostalgic photo, tears came to my eyes involuntarily.
値段を見て思わず「高い！」と言ってしまった。
I saw the price and couldn't help saying "Expensive\!"
思わず means 'unintentionally' or 'involuntarily.' It describes actions done without conscious intention.
ETYMOLOGY:
- From 思う (to think) + ず (classical negative)
- Literally: 'without thinking'
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 思わず〜してしまう (to end up doing ~ unintentionally)
- 思わず笑う (to laugh involuntarily)
- 思わず声を出す (to cry out unintentionally)
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- つい: 'inadvertently, carelessly'
- うっかり: 'carelessly, by mistake'
- 思わず: emphasizes the involuntary nature of the action
POSITION: Usually appears right before the verb it modifies.
Related Words
Synonym:
つい (inadvertently)