Video
Let’s watch this short video for a quick overview.
Source: gokigen japanese official YouTube Channel
Introduction
Want to say “I always eat breakfast,” “I study Japanese for three hours,” or “I don’t have money at all”?
Then you need to learn Japanese adverbs（副詞 / ふくし） — words that give detail to actions like how often, how long, or how much you do something.
In this article, you’ll learn:
✔ Three types of adverbs: frequency, duration, and quantity
✔ Where adverbs go in a sentence
✔ Useful adverbs for daily life (with examples!)
✔ Polite and natural ways to express your habits and routines
✔ Common mistakes to avoid and a helpful FAQ
Let’s dive into Japanese adverbs!
1. Types of Adverbs in Japanese
Japanese adverbs help describe how, how often, how long, or how much an action occurs.
Here are the three most useful categories for beginners:
Frequency（頻度/ひんど）
These adverbs tell how often you do something.
| Japanese | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| いつも | always | 私はいつも一人で朝ご飯を食べます。 I always eat breakfast alone. |
| よく | often | よくコーヒーを飲みます。 I often drink coffee. |
| たいてい | usually / generally | たいてい家で夕食を食べます。 I usually eat dinner at home. |
| ときどき | sometimes | ときどき映画を見ます。 I sometimes watch movies. |
| たまに | occasionally | たまに本を読みます。 I occasionally read books. |
| あまり～（ない） | not very (used with negative) | あまりテレビを見ません。 I don’t watch TV very often. |
| めったに～（ない） | rarely (used with negative) | めったに英語を話しません。 I rarely speak English. |
| ぜんぜん～（ない） | not at all (used with negative) | ぜんぜんテレビを見ません。 I don’t watch TV at all. |
Duration（時間/じかん）
These describe how long an action happens.
| Japanese | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ○時間 | for ○ hours | 昨日は六時間 寝ました。 I slept for six hours yesterday. |
| ～ぐらい／～くらい | about | 昨日は六時間くらい寝ました。 I slept for about six hours yesterday. |
Tip: difference between ～くらい and ～ごろに
Do you remember the expression “～ごろ（に） / around …” we learned in this article?
If you want to say “around” a specific time, you can add ごろ (頃, goro) after the time. It means “approximately.” In this case, the particle に is optional, but often used.
Example: 私は いつも 七時ごろ（に）起きます。 = I usually get up around 7 o’clock.
The difference is that “～くらい / ～ぐらい” is used for duration of time, while “～ごろ(に)” is used for specific time.
Tip: Basic Hour List
| Time | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| one hour | 一時間 | Ichi jikan |
| two hours | 二時間 | Ni jikan |
| three hours | 三時間 | San jikan |
| four hours | 四時間 | Yo jikan (not “yon jikan” or “shi jikan”) |
| five hours | 五時間 | Go jikan |
| six hours | 六時間 | Roku jikan |
| seven hours | 七時間 | Shichi jikan (not “nana jikan”) |
| eight hours | 八時間 | Hachi jikan |
| nine hours | 九時間 | Ku jikan (not “kyuu jikan”) |
| ten hours | 十時間 | Juu jikan |
| eleven hours | 十一時間 | Juuichi jikan |
| twelve hours | 十二時間 | Juuni jikan |
| how many hours | 何時間 | Nan jikan |
Quantity（量/りょう）
These show how much of something you do.
| Japanese | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| たくさん | a lot | ジョンさんは たくさん日本語を話します。 John speaks a lot of Japanese. |
| 少し / ちょっと | a little | 休みの日には少しスポーツをします。 On my days off, I do a little bit of sports. |
ちょっと is more casual, while 少し is slightly more formal.
💡 Note:
Quantity adverbs like たくさん and すこし／ちょっと can appear either before the noun or after the particle. Both are natural and mean the same thing.
For example:
- たくさん日本語を話します。(Takusan nihongo o hanashimasu.)
- 日本語をたくさん話します。(Nihongo o takusan hanashimasu.)
Both sentences mean “I speak a lot of Japanese.”
2. Word Order: Where Do Adverbs Go?
Adverbs usually go before the verb they modify.
✅ Correct:
メアリーさんは よく 日本語を話します。
(Mary often speaks Japanese.)
❌ Incorrect:
メアリーさんは 日本語を話します よく。
This word order is very important in Japanese.
3. Real-Life Examples
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| I always eat breakfast alone. | 私はいつも一人で朝ご飯を食べます。 |
| I slept for about six hours. | 六時間くらい寝ました。 |
| I study Japanese a lot. | 日本語をたくさん勉強します。 |
| I rarely go to the bookstore. | 私はめったに本屋に行きません。 |
| I don’t have money at all. | ぜんぜんお金がありません。 |
4. Practice: Add Adverbs to These Verbs
📝 Example:
スポーツをします → 少しスポーツをします
（I do a little sport）
Try it yourself!
| Verb phrase | Add adverb | Resulting sentence |
|---|---|---|
| ゲームをする | たまに | たまにゲームをします。 I occasionally play games. |
| 叔父はお酒を飲む | たくさん | 叔父はたくさんお酒を飲みます。 My uncle drinks a lot of alcohol. |
| スペイン語を話す | めったに | めったにスペイン語を話しません。 I rarely speak Spanish. |
| 毎日 勉強する | 二時間 | 毎日 二時間 勉強します。 I study for two hours every day. |
5. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
- QCan I put the adverb after the verb in Japanese like in English?
- A
No — Japanese adverbs usually go before the verb, not after.
Example: よく食べます → ✅ ／ 食べますよく → ❌
- QDo I need to conjugate the adverb?
- A
No — adverbs don’t change form. Only verbs conjugate in Japanese.
- QIs たくさん used only for quantity?
- A
Yes — it expresses how much or how many of something is involved, often used before the verb:
たくさん食べました → I ate a lot.
- QI sometimes hear people say things like 「全然いい (zenzen ii)」 or 「全然OK (zenzen OK)」. Is this correct?
- A
This is an interesting point! Historically, during the Meiji and Taisho periods, ぜんぜん could also be used with positive expressions to mean “completely” or “entirely.” While this usage has seen a resurgence in modern colloquial Japanese to express emphasis (like “totally” or “very”), especially in spoken language, it’s important to be aware of its nuances.
- QSo, can I use ぜんぜん with positive words like “いい (ii – good)”?
- A
While you might hear native speakers use phrases like 「全然いい」 or 「全然大丈夫 (zenzen daijoubu – totally okay)」 in casual conversation, many people still consider this usage to be incorrect or less formal. The traditional and widely accepted use of ぜんぜん is with negative expressions.
6. Conclusion: Add Flavor to Your Sentences with Adverbs!
Now you can describe not only what you do, but also how often, how long, and how much you do it — like a native speaker!
🎯 Try writing 3 sentences using a frequency adverb, a duration, and a quantity.
Example:
→ たまに三時間 勉強します。
→ ぜんぜんテレビを見ません。
→ よくコーヒーを飲みます。
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