わざわざ (wazawaza) means “taking the trouble to” or “going out of one’s way.” It can gratefully acknowledge someone’s effort, as in わざわざ来てくれてありがとう, or criticize effort seen as unnecessary. わざと means “on purpose” and focuses on intention rather than extra effort.
also written wazawaza / 態々 / わざと
going out of your way · taking the trouble to · bothering to
Sentences
わざわざ〜てくれる · the thank-you
plain。
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わざわざ
わざわざ
going out of your way
adverb · says the trip cost them something
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来てくれて
きてくれて
came, for me
て-form of 来る ＋ くれる · the favour is pointed at the speaker
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ありがとう
ありがとう
thank you
expression · plain; ありがとうございます is the polite one
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Thanks for coming all this way.
わざわざ〜なくてもいい · waving off the trouble
plain。
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わざわざ
わざわざ
going to the trouble
adverb · here it is the trouble being declined
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買わなくても
かわなくても ［0］
even if you don't buy it
negative て-form of 買う ＋ も
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いい
いい
that's fine
い-adjective · なくてもいい is the set 'don't have to' frame
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よ
よ
softening final particle
particle · offers the information rather than stating it flatly
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You don't have to go out and buy one.
わざわざ ＋ すみません · the apology version
polite。
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遠い
とおい ［0］
far
い-adjective · distance, not time
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のに
のに
even though
conjunction · sets up a mismatch the speaker feels bad about
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わざわざ
わざわざ
going out of your way
adverb · the trouble the speaker is apologising for
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すみません
すみません
I'm sorry; thank you
expression · apology and gratitude at once, which is the point
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Sorry to make you come all that way.
わざわざ as a jab
plain。
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わざわざ
わざわざ
going out of your way
adverb · aimed at the listener, so it stops being a compliment
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言わなくても
いわなくても ［0］
even without saying it
negative て-form of 言う ＋ も
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わかる
わかる
I get it
verb · intransitive, so what is understood takes が
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You didn't have to spell it out.
わざわざ about a third person
plain past。
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彼
かれ ［1］
he; him
pronoun · also boyfriend, depending on context
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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わざわざ
わざわざ
went to the trouble of
adverb · about someone absent, so it reads as credit
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電話
でんわ ［0］
telephone; a phone call
noun · 電話する and 電話をかける are both normal
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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かけてきた
かけてきた
placed the call, in my direction
かける ＋ てくる · the てくる aims the action at the speaker
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He went to the trouble of phoning me.
わざわざ ＋ 手伝う
polite。
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わざわざ
わざわざ
all the way; going out of their way
adverb · the distance is the point, not the helping
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手伝い
てつだい ［3］
helping; help
stem of 手伝う used as a noun
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に
に
in order to
particle · verb stem ＋ に ＋ motion verb means 'to go and do'
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来てくれました
きてくれました
came, for us
polite past of 来てくれる · the favour is received
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They came all the way over to help.
Forms
わざわざ＋Verb
わざわざ来た. It sits in front of the verb like any adverb and adds one claim: this took more doing than it had to.
わざわざ＋Verb ＋ てくれる
わざわざ来てくれて. The gratitude version, and the one you will use most. てくれる already says they did it for you; わざわざ says it cost them.
わざわざ＋Verb ＋ なくてもいい
わざわざ買わなくてもいいよ. Declines the trouble, not the offer — which is why it sounds kind rather than dismissive.
わざわざ＋Verb（pointless）
わざわざ言わなくてもいい. Aimed at the listener, the same shape stops being gratitude and becomes “nobody asked you to.” Tone carries all of it.
Meaning
わざわざ is about cost. Somebody could have done the easy thing and did the expensive thing instead: made a trip, made a call, went back out. It emphasizes the deliberate extra step, while your tone helps determine whether it was lovely or absurd.
わざと is about intent, not cost. It means on purpose, and it is nearly always an accusation: わざと負けた lost on purpose, わざと無視した ignored me deliberately. Swap the two and you change the charge completely — わざわざ来た is “they came all that way,” わざと来た is “they showed up on purpose,” which sounds like a threat.
せっかく is the same effort seen from the other end. わざわざ looks forward at trouble being taken; せっかく looks back at trouble already taken and argues it must not be wasted — せっかく来たのだから, since we came all this way. They stack happily: せっかくわざわざ来てくれたのに.
Who spent the effort decides the temperature. Pointed at someone else it is thanks, and it pairs almost automatically with てくれる or すみません. Pointed at the listener it is a complaint — わざわざ言わなくてもいい, you did not need to say that. Pointed at yourself out loud it sounds like you are billing the room for your own kindness, so Japanese speakers mostly avoid it about themselves.
Inside the word
The root is the native Japanese わざ, an act performed deliberately, which survives on its own in 技 a technique and 業 a feat or a deed. That is where わざと comes from too — the same root plus と, meaning with deliberateness.
The dictionary spelling is 態々, with 態 attitude or bearing and the repeat mark 々. It is ateji — the character was chosen for sense, not sound — and in practice essentially everybody writes the word in kana. Expect to read 態々 and write わざわざ.
Japanese doubles a word to spread it out: わざと is a single pointed intention, わざわざ is deliberateness stretched across a whole errand — the going, the doing, the coming back. That is how one root gives you a word for blame and a word for thanks, and why the doubled one is the one that costs somebody an afternoon.
Watch out
わざと is on purpose and is usually an accusation; わざわざ is at some cost and is usually a kindness. わざと壊した broke it deliberately; わざわざ壊した is nearly nonsense, and reads as sarcasm if anything.
わざわざ来ました announces that your own attendance was a favour, which is the exact opposite of how Japanese handles its own effort. Say 来ました and let the other person supply the わざわざ — they will.
わざわざ言わなくてもいい and わざわざありがとう use the identical adverb. The difference is who spent the effort and whether it landed. Aimed at the listener over something they did not need to do, it is a rebuke, however gently it is said.
Also asked
Going out of your way to do something — taking trouble the situation did not require. It can also stress a deliberate, unnecessary action. Whether that is a compliment or a complaint depends entirely on whose cost it was.
わざと emphasizes intent: on purpose, deliberately, and often always about something you would be blamed for. わざわざ is effort: the long way round, the extra trip. Same わざ root, but you cannot swap them — わざと来た sounds sinister where わざわざ来た is warm.
Not by itself. Pointed at someone else's kindness it is one of the warmest things you can say. Pointed at the listener over something they did not have to do — わざわざ言わなくても — it stings, because it says the effort was both real and unwelcome.
態々, using 態 plus the repeat mark. It is ateji and almost nobody writes it that way; kana is standard in everything from chat to newspapers. You should recognise 態々 in older or more formal text and write わざわざ yourself.
わざわざ〜なくてもいいですよ. It declines the trouble rather than the person, which is why it lands softly: わざわざ送らなくてもいいですよ, please don't go to the trouble of sending it. Adding ありがとうございます afterwards makes it warmer still.
Yes, and it is common. せっかくわざわざ来てくれたのに — after they went to all that trouble to come. せっかく argues the effort must not be wasted, わざわざ says how much effort it was, and the のに at the end tells you something spoiled it anyway.
References
Kotobank: 態態 — Records a special trip or effort and deliberately unnecessary action.
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