不覚(ふかく)

ふかく
noun, na-adjective
blunder; carelessness; being caught off guard
cognition
1. blunder; carelessness; being caught off guard
A failure or mistake caused by lack of vigilance or awareness. Often used to describe a moment of uncharacteristic weakness or an embarrassing lapse.
不覚(ふかく)にも涙(なみだ)が出(で)た。
I shed tears before I knew it.
不覚(ふかく)にも電車(でんしゃ)で寝過(ねす)ごしてしまった。
I carelessly slept past my stop on the train.
あんな簡単(かんたん)な問題(もんだい)を間違(まちが)えるとは不覚(ふかく)だった。
Getting such an easy question wrong was a careless blunder.

不覚(ふかく) literally means "not being aware" (不(ふ) + 覚(かく)). It is commonly used in the set phrase 不覚(ふかく)にも, meaning "inadvertently" or "before I realized it."

Common patterns

  • 不覚(ふかく)にも～ (inadvertently; before I knew it)
  • ～とは不覚(ふかく)だった (it was careless that...)
  • 不覚(ふかく)を取(と)る (to be caught off guard; to make a blunder)

Common collocations

Usage

The phrase 不覚(ふかく)にも涙(なみだ)が出(で)た is a very common expression meaning someone was unexpectedly moved to tears — implying that crying was not intended and somewhat embarrassing.

general
Added 2026.3.4 14:26 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
14500/14884_fukaku