Frequency, or 頻度 (ひんど) in Japanese, describes “the rate at which something occurs over a particular period of time or in a given sample”. I rarely eat, I often sing, I occasionally take a shower are all examples of adverbs of frequency.
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Expressing frequency to help take your Japanese to the next level
Learning some of these is a really good way to help improve your Japanese, sound more natural and help you express what you want to say a lot better.
So in today’s online Japanese blog we are going to be looking at a lot of different 頻度 (ひんど) adverbs and learn exactly how to use them, let’s jump right in!
How to use Frequency Verbs in Japanese
| English | Romaji | Japanese |
| Usually | Taitei | たいてい |
| sometimes | Tokidoki | ときどき |
| occasionally | Tamani | たまに |
| not very often | Amari | あまり |
| never, not at all | Zenzen | ぜんぜん |
| always | Itsumo | いつも |
So to begin with you have to remember that frequency adverbs, much like other adverbs, come before the verb itself. Let’s look at a quick example. Yoku よく means often, so we could say:
僕はよく勉強します
ぼくはよくべんきょうします
Boku wa yoku benkyou shimasu
I often study
As you can see you imply add the frequency adverb in front of the very to express frequency in Japanese, but what good is that if we don’t know any? Ok let’s go ahead and try and learn some more. There are quite a few to learn in Japanese and we know they will be super useful for your Japanese. Let’s have a look at some more examples.
たいてい Taitei – Usually
Taitei たいてい means usually in Japanese and can be very useful for describing what is useful and ordinary in your habits and lifestyle. Let’s take a look at an example sentence.
夜はたいていボウリングに行きます。
yoru wa taietei bouringu ni ikimasu
At night, we usually go bowling.
As you can see this is very useful for talking about your routine habits and events. Now let’s look at something a little less frequent than Taitei.
ときどき tokidoki – sometimes
Tokidoki ときどき means sometimes in Japanese, It’s a little less frequent than usually and can be used to describe things that you do every now and then. Let’s have a look now at an example sentence to try and understand it better.
葉がときどき落ちてきた。
Hapa ga tokidoki ochitekita.
Leaves fall down sometimes.
If you want to describe something that is a little less frequent then this next frequency adverb is perfect.
たまに tamani – occasionally
Tamani たまに means occasionally in Japanese, this can be used to describe something that happens every once in a while, and is less frequent than Tokidoki, sometimes.
夫はたまに御酒を飲みます
Otto wa tamani sake wo nomimasu
My husband drinks sake occasionally
As you can see this is great to express things that you can do occasionally or once in a while.
あまり amari – not very often
Amari あまり means not very often in Japanese, you would use this Japanese frequency adverb to describe something that you don’t do very often.
私はあまり食べません。
watashi wa amari tabemasen.
I don't eat much.
You could use this sentence if you have a small appetite. Amari is a very useful adverb to describe “not very often” Let’s look now at one with even less frequency.
ぜんぜん zenzen – never, not at all
Zenzenぜんぜん means never or not at all in Japanese. If you haven’t done something before then zenzen is the perfect frequency adverb to use.
これは全然終わってない。
Kore wa zenzen owattenai
This isn't finished at all.
As you can see from this example if you want to express that something is not done or will never happen then this is the go to adverb.
いつも itsumo – always
Itsumo いつも means always in Japanese, this is highest adverb in frequency and lets you express things that your are doing or are happening all the time.
私は日曜日にはいつも家にいない。
Watashi wa nichiyoubi ni itsumo ie ni inai
I'm always away from home on Sundays.
As you can see here our friend is always away from home so Itsumo is the perfect adverb to use to describe that.
So today we have learned lots of juicy new frequency adverbs to get your teeth into. Try and use them as much as possible to describe your own actions and habits.
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