ごとに
- 1At regular intervals of time or distance; every ~.Ex. 1
- 2Separately for each individual unit, group or person; each ~, ~ by ~.Ex. 2
- 3Every time the action of the verb occurs.Ex. 3
QuantityA number plus a counter.
三つ・二人・五冊・一時間
Lengths of time count too: 三年・一時間・二週間. Points in time such as 三時・三月 do not.
Verb (dictionary form)The basic form of a verb, as listed in a dictionary (non-past, affirmative).
行く・食べる・する・来る
Narrower than the plain form, which also covers 行かない・行った・行かなかった.
QuantityA number plus a counter.
三つ・二人・五冊・一時間
Lengths of time count too: 三年・一時間・二週間. Points in time such as 三時・三月 do not.
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Neutral in register and used in both speech and writing, for example in timetables, instructions and descriptions of schedules or divisions. With time and distance it gives a regular interval. With nouns such as グループ or クラス it means something is done or counted for each unit separately. After verbs it overlaps with たびに, which is the more common choice for "every time."
Do not insert の between a noun and ごとに; say グループごとに, not グループのごとに.
Note that 一日ごとに means every day, while 一日おきに means every other day.
Note that ごとに attaches to the unit receiving something (一人ごとに三つ), while ずつ attaches to the amount (一人三つずつ).
- 1.おきにN4「おきに」 attaches only to quantifiers and is close only to sense 1 of 「ごとに」, 'every / at intervals of': with countable units such as days, 「一日おきに」 means 'every other day' (one day skipped) and equals 「二日ごとに」, while with time lengths or distances 「一時間おきに」「一メートルおきに」 are close in meaning to 「ごとに」. Unlike 「ごとに」, it cannot attach to nouns or verbs to express 'each unit separately' or 'whenever'.
- 2.たびにN3「たびに」 attaches to a verb in dictionary form or to noun + の and expresses neither fixed intervals nor division by unit. It is often interchangeable with 「ごとに」 after verbs, but what precedes it must be an event that recurs time after time, so 「時間が経つたびに」 is not acceptable.
- 3.ずつN3「ずつ」 expresses the amount per portion or per occasion and attaches only to quantifiers or words such as 「少し」, whereas 「ごとに」 expresses units and intervals. Thus 「三十分ずつ」 means 'thirty minutes each time' and 「三十分ごとに」 means 'at thirty-minute intervals', so they cannot be interchanged.
- 4.につきN2When 「につき」 means 'per', it focuses on the ratio of a price, quantity, etc. to each unit (一人につき1000円), and it neither expresses regular repetition nor attaches to verbs. It also has 'because of' and 'concerning' senses and is used mostly in formal documents such as notices.
With counters like 日, おきに skips units (一日おきに = every other day) while ごとに covers every unit, and たびに is the usual form for "every time" after verbs and after nouns with の. ずつ attaches to the amount allotted equally to each unit (三つずつ), whereas ごとに marks the unit itself, and につき is a more formal "per" used for rates and charges (一人につき).
