How to say "frequent" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 頻繁ひんぱんna-adjectiveCovers 'frequent' in the adjective sense: events, visits or occurrences that happen often. This is the word you want when describing how often something occurs; at the strongest it borders on 'incessant'.
- na-adjective, no-adjectiveCovers 'frequent' in the sense of something apt to happen or commonly the case; it leans toward 'common' or 'typical' rather than rapid recurrence. Usually written in kana alone.
- 多しおおしadjective (archaic)Really means 'numerous'; it matches 'frequent' only where the point is many occurrences, not the rate at which something happens. For the ordinary 'happens often' meaning, 頻繁 is the word you want.
- na-adjectiveReally means 'popular'; it is seldom the word you want for 'frequent', fitting at most the sense of something common or widespread. For things that happen often, use 頻繁.
- 通うかようgodan verb, intransitive verbCovers 'frequent' as a verb: to visit a place regularly. It equally means to go to or commute to a place such as school or work, so regular repeated visits are the core idea.
Use 頻繁 for things that happen often, 「通う」 for the verb 'to frequent a place', and treat 「ありがち」, 「多し」 and 「ポピュラー」 as narrower options that really mean 'common', 'numerous' and 'popular'.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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