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 | いつも朝ご飯（あさごはん）を食（た）べます。 → I always eat breakfast. |
| よく | often | よくコーヒーを飲（の）みます。 → I often drink coffee. |
| たまに | occasionally | たまに本（ほん）を読（よ）みます。 → I occasionally read books. |
| めったに | rarely (used with negative) | めったに英語（えいご）を話（はな）しません。 → I rarely speak English. |
| ぜんぜん | not at all (used with negative) | ぜんぜんテレビを見（み）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 | 六時間（ろくじかん）寝（ね）ました。 → I slept for six hours. |
Quantity（量/りょう）
These show how much of something you do.
| Japanese | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| たくさん | a lot | たくさん日本語（にほんご）を話（はな）します。 → I speak a lot of Japanese. |
| 少し（すこし） / ちょっと | a little | 少しスポーツをします。 → I do a little sport. |
💡 ちょっと is more casual, while 少し is slightly more formal.
2. Word Order: Where Do Adverbs Go?
Adverbs usually go before the verb they modify.
✅ Correct:
けんさんは よく 日本語を話します。
(Ken often speaks Japanese.)
❌ Incorrect:
けんさんは 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. | いつも朝ご飯を食べます。 |
| I slept for six hours. | 六時間寝ました。 |
| I study Japanese a lot. | たくさん日本語を勉強します。 |
| I rarely go to the bookstore. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 朝ご飯（あさごはん）を食（た）べる | たまに | たまに朝ご飯（あさごはん）を食（た）べます。 |
| お酒（さけ）を飲（の）む | たくさん | たくさんお酒（さけ）を飲（の）みます。 |
| 英語（えいご）を話（はな）す | めったに | めったに英語（えいご）を話（はな）しません。 |
| 勉強（べんきょう）する | 二時間（にじかん） | 二時間（にじかん）勉強（べんきょう）します。 |
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.
- 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。
Want to improve your Japanese with real conversations?
Our native Japanese instructors at gokigen japanese can help you perfect your pronunciation and learn real-life usage.
Whether you’re completely new to Japanese or looking to refine your skills, book a one-on-one session.
