Components

Grammar detail: つつ

つつ  while ~, ~; even though ~, ~
135 words
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verb stem
+
つつ (も)
means
while ~, ~; even though ~, ~
verb stem + つつ is a somewhat formal expression. It has two different meanings depending on the context.

while - to indicate that X and Y are occurring or occurred at the same time

きしゃ
汽車
られつつ
じかん
時間
ほどいい
きも
気持
うとうと
ねむ
った

For about 2 hours I dozed pleasantly, while rocked by the train.
おうしゅう
欧州
さんこう
参考
つつ
ちょう
こうれいか
高齢化
しゃかい
社会
せいさく
政策
たいおう
対応
けいざい
経済
たいこく
大国
から
せいかつ
生活
たいこく
大国
てんかん
転換
21
せいき
世紀
けて
にほん
日本
していかねばならない
Learning lessons from Europe, Japan has to switch its economic-oriented policy to a consumer-conscious one, in order to cope with the coming unprecedented aging society towards the 21st century.

even though (while) - to express doing something conflicting

When used in this context, verb stem + つつ describes a situation in which the subject of the sentence does something despite its contrary nature. In this case, つつ will often be used with, but not limited to, verbs such as 知る, わかる, 思う, 言う.
ふけいき
不景気
つつ
ことし
今年
ゴールデンウイーク
かいがい
海外
りょこう
旅行
する
ひと
かこ
過去
さいこう
最高
らしい
Even though we're supposedly in a recession, people are traveling abroad in record numbers this Golden Week holiday.
からだ
わる
つつアルコールやめられない
Even though I know it's bad for me, I can't stop drinking alcohol.
べんきょう
勉強
しなければ
おも
つつ
どうが
動画
おもしろ
面白
くて
なかなか
べんきょう
勉強
しない
While thinking I've got to study, I just don't, because the videos are so good.
わる
こと
つつ
がっこう
学校
サボった
Despite knowing it's bad, I skipped school.
verb stem + つつも has the same two meanings, but is used less frequently.
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Kanji used in this grammar

チ   し to know   
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シ   おも to think   
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ゲン   ゴン   say; word   こと word, saying   い to say   
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キ    steam, vapour   
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シャ   くるま car   
ヨウ   ゆ    ゆする    ゆさぶる    ゆすぶる to shake (something)   ゆれる    ゆるぐ to tremble, to shake   ゆらぐ to be (emotionally) shaken   
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ジ   とき time, occasion   
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カン   ケン   あいだ interval, between   ま space, room   
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キ   ケ    spirit   
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ジ   も to hold, to have   
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ミン   ねむ to sleep   ねむ sleepy   
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オウ    Europe   
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シュウ    state, province, county   す sandbank   
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サン   まい to visit, go, come   
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コウ   かんがえる to think about, consider   
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チョウ   こ    こえる to exceed   
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コウ   expensive; high   たか    たか expensive, tall, high   たかまる to be elevated   たかめる to promote, heighten   
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レイ age   
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カ   ケ   ばける to change   
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シャ    company   やしろ Shinto shrine   
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カイ   エ   あ to meet   
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セイ   ショウ   まつりごと government   
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サク    policy   
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タイ   ツイ    vis-a-vis   
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オウ   おうじる to satisfy, reply, comply   こたえる to respond to   
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ケイ   キョウ   へ to elapse   
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サイ   finish   す to be finished   すます to be through with   
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ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
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コク   くに country   
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セイ   ショウ    life   なま raw   いかす to enliven   いきる to live   いける to arrange flowers   うまれる to be born   う to give birth to   き pure, undiluted   お to grow, to sprout   はえる to grow, to sprout   はやす to grow, cultivate   
カツ    activity, resuscitation   
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テン   ころがる to roll (intr.)   ころがす to roll (tr.)   ころげる to roll about   ころ to fall over   
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カン   かえる to replace, to substitute   
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セ   セイ   よ the world   
キ    chronicle   
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コウ   むかう to confront   む to turn towards   むこう opposite direction   むける to direct towards   
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ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
ホン   book   もと origin   
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フ   ブ    not   
ケイ   scenery
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コン   キン   いま now   
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ネン   とし year   
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カイ   うみ ocean   
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ガイ   ゲ   そと outside   ほか other   はず to remove, mislead   はずれる to come off, to miss   
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リョ   たび trip   
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コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆ    い to go   おこな to take place   
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ジン   ニン   ひと person   
カ   あやま mistake   あやま to slip up   すぎる to overdo, be more than   すごす to pass, spend   
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キョ   コ   さ leave   
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サイ   もっと most   
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タイ   テイ   からだ body   
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アク   オ   わる bad   
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ベン    exertion   
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キョウ   ゴウ   つよ strong   つよまる to get stronger   つよめる to strengthen   しいる to compel, to force   
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ドウ   うご to move, to stir   うごかす to shift, to move   
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ガ   カク   draw
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メン   おもて mask, features, surface   おも surface   つら face   
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ハク   しろ white   しろ    しら-    
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ガク   まな to learn   
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コウ    exam   
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