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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
に
ゆ
揺
られつつ
、
に
2
じかん
時間
ほどいい
きも
気持
ち
でうとうと
ねむ
眠
った
。
For about 2 hours I dozed pleasantly, while rocked by the train.
おうしゅう
欧州
を
さんこう
参考
にしつつ、
ちょう
超
こうれいか
高齢化
しゃかい
社会
への
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
」への
てんかん
転換
を21
せいき
世紀
に
む
向
けて
にほん
日本
は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
だと
い
言
い
つつ、
ことし
今年
のゴールデンウイークに
かいがい
海外
りょこう
旅行
をする
ひと
人
は
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
体
に
わる
悪
い
と
し
知
り
つつ、アルコールがやめられない。
Even though I know it's bad for me, I can't stop drinking alcohol.
べんきょう
勉強
をしなければと
おも
思
い
つつ、
どうが
動画
が
おもしろ
面白
くて
なかなか
べんきょう
勉強
をしない。
While thinking I've got to study, I just don't, because the videos are so good.
わる
悪
い
ことだと
し
知
り
つつ、
がっこう
学校
をサボった。
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

知
チ   しる to know   
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思
シ   おもう to think   
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言
ゲン   ゴン   say; word   こと word, saying   いう to say   
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汽
キ    steam, vapour   
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車
シャ   くるま car   
揺
ヨウ   ゆる    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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時
ジ   とき time, occasion   
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間
カン   ケン   あいだ interval, between   ま space, room   
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気
キ   ケ    spirit   
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持
ジ   もつ to hold, to have   
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眠
ミン   ねむる to sleep   ねむい sleepy   
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欧
オウ    Europe   
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州
シュウ    state, province, county   す sandbank   
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参
サン   まいる to visit, go, come   
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考
コウ   かんがえる to think about, consider   
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超
チョウ   こす    こえる to exceed   
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高
コウ   expensive; high   たか    たかい expensive, tall, high   たかまる to be elevated   たかめる to promote, heighten   
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齢
レイ age   
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化
カ   ケ   ばける to change   
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社
シャ    company   やしろ Shinto shrine   
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会
カイ   エ   あう to meet   
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政
セイ   ショウ   まつりごと government   
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策
サク    policy   
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対
タイ   ツイ    vis-a-vis   
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応
オウ   おうじる to satisfy, reply, comply   こたえる to respond to   
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経
ケイ   キョウ   へる to elapse   
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済
サイ   finish   すむ to be finished   すます to be through with   
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大
ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
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国
コク   くに country   
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生
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   うむ to give birth to   き pure, undiluted   おう to grow, to sprout   はえる to grow, to sprout   はやす to grow, cultivate   
活
カツ    activity, resuscitation   
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転
テン   ころがる to roll (intr.)   ころがす to roll (tr.)   ころげる to roll about   ころぶ to fall over   
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換
カン   かえる to replace, to substitute   
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世
セ   セイ   よ the world   
紀
キ    chronicle   
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向
コウ   むかう to confront   むく to turn towards   むこう opposite direction   むける to direct towards   
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日
ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
本
ホン   book   もと origin   
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不
フ   ブ    not   
景
ケイ   scenery
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今
コン   キン   いま now   
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年
ネン   とし year   
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海
カイ   うみ ocean   
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外
ガイ   ゲ   そと outside   ほか other   はずす to remove, mislead   はずれる to come off, to miss   
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旅
リョ   たび trip   
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行
コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆく    いく to go   おこなう to take place   
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人
ジン   ニン   ひと person   
過
カ   あやまち mistake   あやまつ to slip up   すぎる to overdo, be more than   すごす to pass, spend   
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去
キョ   コ   さる leave   
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最
サイ   もっとも most   
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体
タイ   テイ   からだ body   
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悪
アク   オ   わるい bad   
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勉
ベン    exertion   
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強
キョウ   ゴウ   つよい 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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動
ドウ   うごく to move, to stir   うごかす to shift, to move   
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画
ガ   カク   draw
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面
メン   おもて mask, features, surface   おも surface   つら face   
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白
ハク   しろい white   しろ    しら-    
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学
ガク   まなぶ to learn   
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校
コウ    exam   
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