| Expression | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| わざわざ | wazawaza | Going out of one’s way / specially / deliberately (often for someone else) |
| わざと | wazato | On purpose / deliberately (for own reasons) |
| せっかく | sekkaku | Since you’ve gone to the trouble / making the most of the effort |
YukaWhat does わざわざ mean? I hear it when people are thanking someone for coming a long way.
Reiわざわざ means someone went out of their way to do something — it wasn’t convenient, but they did it anyway (usually for you). It’s often used in thank-you expressions and can also express that something was unnecessary trouble.
What Does わざわざ Mean?
わざわざ is an adverb describing an action taken deliberately and specially — going out of one’s way to do something, often for the benefit of others. Depending on context, it can express gratitude (you didn’t have to!) or mild criticism (why bother?).
- わざわざ来てくれてありがとう。 — Thank you for coming all this way.
- わざわざ電話してくれなくてよかったのに。 — You didn’t have to call specially.
- わざわざ遠くから来た。 — I came all the way from far away.
- わざわざ言わなくていいよ。 — You don’t need to go out of your way to say it.
わざわざ vs わざと vs せっかく
| わざわざ | わざと | せっかく | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Going out of one’s way | On purpose / deliberately | Since you’ve gone to the trouble |
| For whom? | Usually for others | For oneself | Framing an effort positively |
| Positive? | Often grateful | Neutral (can be negative) | Yes — don’t waste the effort |
| Example | わざわざありがとう | わざと遅刻した | せっかく来たんだから楽しもう |
YukaWhat’s the difference between わざわざ and わざと?
Reiわざと means “on purpose” — you did it intentionally for your own reasons (often a bad thing: わざと無視した = ignored on purpose). わざわざ is about going out of your way for someone else — usually kind or unnecessary effort.
Common Phrases with わざわざ
- わざわざありがとうございます — Thank you so much for going out of your way
- わざわざ〜なくていい — You don’t need to go to the trouble of ~
- わざわざ来てくれた — You came all this way (touched by the effort)
Quick Quiz
Fill in: わざわざ, わざと, or せっかく?
- 1. ___来てくれたんだから、ゆっくりしていって。 (Since you’ve come all the way, please relax and stay.)
- 2. 彼は___遅刻した。 (He was late on purpose.)
- 3. ___連絡してくれてありがとう。 (Thank you for going out of your way to contact me.)
- 4. ___日本まで来たんだから、京都も行こう。 (Since we’ve gone to the trouble of coming to Japan, let’s go to Kyoto too.)
Answers: 1. せっかく 2. わざと 3. わざわざ 4. せっかく
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Summary
| Word | Meaning | Key nuance |
|---|---|---|
| わざわざ | Going out of one’s way | Effort made (usually for others) |
| わざと | On purpose | Deliberate personal choice |
| せっかく | Since you’ve gone to the trouble | Don’t waste the effort |
