わざと vs わざわざ
JLPT N4 vocabulary · what is the difference?
わざと means "on purpose" — the person intended the result, and it usually sounds like an accusation or a confession. わざわざ means "went out of their way" — the person took extra trouble they did not have to take, and it is normally said with thanks. Use わざと when you are talking about intent, わざわざ when you are talking about effort.
When to use each
わざと
わざと
Use わざと when someone did something deliberately, knowing what would happen. It attaches to the intent behind an act, so with anything unwelcome it lands as blame — or, in an apology, as a denial of blame.
ごめん、わざとじゃないんです。
ごめん、わざとじゃないんです。
Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose.
父は子どもとの試合でわざと負けました。
ちちはこどもとのしあいでわざとまけました。
My father lost the match to his child on purpose.
わざわざ
わざわざ
Use わざわざ when someone took trouble they could have avoided — a special trip, an extra step. It says nothing about the result being intended; it comments on the effort, and most often appears in thanks or in telling someone not to bother.
わざわざ来てくれてありがとう。
わざわざきてくれてありがとう。
Thank you for coming all this way.
わざわざ買わなくてもいいですよ。
わざわざかわなくてもいいですよ。
You don't need to go out of your way to buy it.
Sentences where only one works
わざわざ駅まで迎えに来てくださいました。
わざわざえきまでむかえにきてくださいました。
She kindly came all the way to the station to meet me.
The point is the trouble she took, so わざわざ. わざと here would mean she met me deliberately, implying a hidden motive.
彼はわざと私の名前を間違えました。
かれはわざとわたしのなまえをまちがえました。
He got my name wrong on purpose.
A mistake with intent behind it — only わざと. わざわざ would absurdly praise the effort he put into it.
わざわざ電話をありがとうございます。
わざわざでんわをありがとうございます。
Thank you for taking the trouble to call.
Fixed polite thanks. Swapping in わざと would accuse the caller of phoning with some intention.
わざと遅く来たのではありません。
わざとおそくきたのではありません。
I wasn't late on purpose.
Denying intent, which is わざと's job. わざわざ遅く来た would mean you made a special effort to arrive late.
Common mistakes
わざと来てくれてありがとう。
わざわざ来てくれてありがとう。
Thanking someone with わざと says thanks for coming with an ulterior motive. Thanks always takes わざわざ.
すみません、わざわざではありません。
すみません、わざとではありません。
An apology denies intent, not effort. The set phrase is わざとじゃない / わざとではありません.
Frequently asked questions
Is わざわざ always polite?
Usually, but not always. Said flatly about someone's pointless extra effort — わざわざそんなことをしなくても — it can sound like mild criticism, as in why did you bother? In thanks it is entirely warm.
Can I use わざと about myself?
Yes, most often in the negative: わざとじゃない, I didn't mean to. Saying わざとやりました about yourself is an outright admission that you did it deliberately.
Are they ever interchangeable?
No. They answer different questions — わざと answers did you mean to?, and わざわざ answers did you go out of your way? A sentence can take either word, but the meaning changes completely.