出 来 心(できごころ)で

できごころで

expression

on impulse; on a whim; in a moment of weakness

1. on impulse; on a whim; in a moment of weakness

acting on a sudden urge without premeditation, often used to explain or excuse bad behavior such as petty theft or cheating

出来心(できごころ)でやってしまった。

I did it on impulse.

出来心(できごころ)で万引(まんび)きをして捕(つか)まった。

I shoplifted on impulse and got caught.

いくら出来心(できごころ)でやったと言(い)っても、犯罪(はんざい)は犯罪(はんざい)だ。

No matter how much you say it was done on impulse, a crime is a crime.

The noun 出来心(できごころ) means a sudden impulse or whim, especially one that leads to wrongdoing. It combines 出来(でき) (occurrence) and 心(こころ) (heart, mind). Almost always used with the particle で to form the adverbial phrase 出来心(できごころ)で. The word strongly implies that the action was not premeditated and is often used as an excuse or mitigating explanation.

Common collocations

出来心(できごころ)で盗(ぬす)む: to steal on impulse
出来心(できごころ)から: out of a sudden impulse
ほんの出来心(できごころ): just a momentary impulse
出来心(できごころ)とはいえ: even though it was on impulse

Similar words

衝動的(しょうどうてき)に: impulsively — a more neutral term for acting on impulse
つい: unintentionally, without meaning to — milder, for small slips
魔(ま)が差(さ)す: to be tempted by the devil — yielding to a momentary bad impulse

Related Words

Compare: 衝動的(しょうどうてき) (impulsively)

general

Added 2026.4.22 23:47 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

25000/25109_dekigokorode