In English, "often" and "sometimes" cover most situations. But Japanese has a much finer-grained system — いつも, よく, and たいてい all translate roughly to "often/always," yet they sit at different points on the frequency scale. This article lays out every frequency adverb on a single percentage ruler from 100% to 0%.
The Frequency Scale: 100% to 0%
| Frequency | Adverb | Reading | Pairing | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | いつも | itsumo | positive | always |
| 100% | 常に（つねに） | tsune ni | positive | constantly (formal) |
| ~90% | たいてい | taitei | positive | usually |
| ~90% | ほとんど | hotondo | positive | almost always |
| ~70% | よく | yoku | positive | often |
| ~50% | 時々（ときどき） | tokidoki | positive | sometimes |
| ~30% | たまに | tama ni | positive | occasionally |
| ~20% | あまり | amari | negative | not really |
| ~5% | めったに | metta ni | negative | rarely |
| ~5% | ほとんど | hotondo | negative | hardly ever |
| 0% | 全然（ぜんぜん） | zenzen | negative | not at all |
| 0% | 決して（けっして） | kesshite | negative | never (formal) |
Frequency Scale Diagram
0% 50% 100%
|─────────|─────────|─────────|─────────|
決して めったに たまに 時々 よく たいてい いつも
全然 あまり ほとんど 常に
ほとんど～ない
Notice that ほとんど appears twice: with positive forms it means "almost always" (~90%), but with negative forms it means "hardly ever" (~5%).
Positive Frequency: 100% → 30%
いつも / 常に = Always (100%)
いつも is the everyday word for "always." 常に is its formal counterpart.
父はいつも朝6時に起きます。 → My father always gets up at 6 AM.
常にお客様のことを考えております。 → We always keep our customers in mind. (business language)
たいてい = Usually (~90%)
たいてい means "most of the time, with occasional exceptions":
たいてい電車で会社に行きます。 → I usually take the train to work. (but sometimes I drive)
よく = Often (~70%)
よく is the go-to word for "often":
よくこの店でランチを食べます。 → I often have lunch at this restaurant.
子どもの頃、よく公園で遊びました。 → When I was a kid, I often played in the park.
時々 = Sometimes (~50%)
時々映画を見に行きます。 → I sometimes go to see movies.
たまに = Occasionally (~30%)
たまに sits below 時々 on the scale, carrying a sense of "once in a while":
たまにはゆっくり休みたい。 → Once in a while, I just want to relax properly.
たまに昔の友達に会います。 → I occasionally meet up with old friends.
時々 vs たまに
| 時々 | たまに | |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency | ~50%, every few days | ~30%, longer intervals |
| Nuance | fairly neutral | slightly casual, sense of "rare treat" |
| Example | 時々コーヒーを飲む (have coffee every few days) | たまにコーヒーを飲む (don't usually drink coffee, but once in a while) |
Negative Frequency: 20% → 0%
Below 20%, Japanese uses adverb + negative form.
あまり～ない = Not Really (~20%)
あまりテレビを見ません。 → I don't really watch TV.
めったに～ない = Rarely (~5%)
めったに means "very rarely" and must pair with a negative:
めったに遅刻しません。 → I rarely arrive late.
めったにお酒を飲まない。 → I hardly ever drink alcohol.
全然～ない / 決して～ない = Never (0%)
全然 is casual; 決して is formal and emphatic:
全然運動しない。 → I don't exercise at all.
決して忘れません。 → I will never forget.
Register Pairs: Casual vs Formal
The same concept gets different words depending on the setting:
| Concept | Casual/Daily | Formal/Written |
|---|---|---|
| Always | いつも | 常に |
| Sometimes | 時々 | 時折（ときおり） |
| Occasionally | たまに | 稀に（まれに） |
| Rarely | めったに～ない | 滅多に～ない (kanji version is more formal) |
| Never | 全然～ない | 決して～ない |
Position in the Sentence
Frequency adverbs generally go before the verb:
〇 いつも7時に起きます。 (adverb before verb ✓)
They can also go at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis:
〇 たまに、一人で旅行します。 (sentence-initial emphasis ✓)
But they don't normally go at the end:
✕ 起きます、いつも。 (unnatural)
Beyond Basics: Frequency-Related Grammar
Once you've mastered the basic frequency adverbs, two advanced expressions are worth knowing:
～がちだ = Tend To, Prone To
彼は風邪をひきがちだ。 → He tends to catch colds.
曇りがちな天気。 → Overcast weather. (tends to be cloudy)
～っぱなし = Left in a State
テレビをつけっぱなしで寝てしまった。 → I fell asleep with the TV still on.
ドアを開けっぱなしにしないで。 → Don't leave the door open.
Describe Your Day Using Frequency Adverbs
Try describing your own routine using these words:
私はいつも7時に起きます。たいてい電車で会社に行きます。よくコンビニでお昼を買います。時々同僚とランチに行きます。たまに残業します。あまり料理しません。めったにジムに行きません。
→ I always get up at 7. I usually take the train to work. I often buy lunch at the convenience store. I sometimes go to lunch with colleagues. I occasionally work overtime. I don't really cook. I rarely go to the gym.
One paragraph, and you've used nearly every frequency adverb!
Summary
- Frequency from high to low: いつも (100%) → たいてい (90%) → よく (70%) → 時々 (50%) → たまに (30%)
- Low frequency with negatives: あまり～ない (20%) → めったに～ない (5%) → 全然～ない (0%)
- ほとんど with positives = almost always; with negatives = hardly ever
- Casual and formal pairs: いつも ↔ 常に, たまに ↔ 稀に, 全然 ↔ 決して
- Frequency adverbs usually go before the verb; sentence-initial placement adds emphasis
Practice Quiz
Q1. How do you say "I usually walk to school, but occasionally ride my bike" in Japanese?
Show Answer
たいてい歩いて学校に行きます。たまに自転車で行きます。
"Usually" is たいてい, and "occasionally" is たまに.
Q2. Should 「めったに＿＿」 be followed by a positive or negative form?
Show Answer
It must be followed by a negative form. めったに means "rarely" and always requires a negative:
- 〇 めったに遅刻しません。 (I rarely arrive late.)
- ✕ めったに遅刻します。 (unnatural)
Q3. What do 「ほとんど毎日走ります」 and 「ほとんど走りません」 mean respectively?
Show Answer
- ほとんど毎日走ります。 → I run almost every day. (with positive = almost always, ~90%)
- ほとんど走りません。 → I hardly ever run. (with negative = hardly ever, ~5%)
The same word ほとんど takes on opposite meanings depending on whether the sentence is positive or negative.