Japanese Adverbs of Frequency

Understanding Japanese adverbs of frequency helps you express how often actions occur. These words, like いつも (itsumo) and よく (yoku), are essential for daily conversations and writing, making your Japanese more natural and relatable.

1. いつも (itsumo) - always

   • Indicates a consistent or habitual action.
   • Used to express something that occurs without exception.
   • Commonly used in daily conversations and writing.

2. よく (yoku) - often

   • Describes actions that happen frequently but not all the time.
   • Can imply a positive connotation, suggesting regularity.
   • Often used in conjunction with verbs to indicate frequency.

3. たいてい (taitei) - usually

   • Refers to actions that occur most of the time but may have exceptions.
   • Slightly less definitive than "always."
   • Useful for discussing general habits or routines.

4. ときどき (tokidoki) - sometimes

   • Indicates actions that occur intermittently or occasionally.
   • Suggests a less frequent occurrence compared to "often."
   • Commonly used in casual conversation.

5. たまに (tamani) - occasionally

   • Refers to actions that happen infrequently or sporadically.
   • Implies a sense of rarity compared to "sometimes."
   • Often used to describe special events or situations.

6. めったに〜ない (mettani ~nai) - rarely

   • Indicates that an action occurs very infrequently.
   • Often used with a negative verb form to emphasize rarity.
   • Useful for expressing exceptions to general trends.

7. ぜんぜん〜ない (zenzen ~nai) - not at all

   • Strongly negates the occurrence of an action.
   • Used to express that something does not happen under any circumstances.
   • Commonly used in negative statements.

8. 毎日 (mainichi) - every day

   • Indicates daily occurrence of an action.
   • Used to describe routines or habits that happen on a daily basis.
   • Commonly used in both spoken and written Japanese.

9. 時々 (tokidoki) - from time to time

   • Similar to "sometimes," but can imply a more irregular frequency.
   • Suggests that the action occurs at unpredictable intervals.
   • Often used in casual conversation.

10. しばしば (shibashiba) - frequently

    • Indicates a high frequency of occurrence, similar to "often."
    • Can imply a more formal tone compared to "よく."
    • Useful in both spoken and written contexts to describe regular actions.