毎年
まいとし
maitoshi
= every year / yearly / annually
毎年 (maitoshi) is one of the first “time frequency” words N5 learners meet, and it unlocks a whole pattern: the character 毎 means “every,” so once you know 毎年 you’re halfway to 毎日 (every day), 毎週 (every week), and 毎月 (every month) too.
毎年 breaks down cleanly: mai (毎) means “every,” and toshi/nen (年) means “year.” Together they mean “every year” or “annually.” What makes this word tricky for learners is that it has two accepted readings for the same kanji: maitoshi, the native Japanese (訓読み) reading, and mainen, the Chinese-derived (音読み) reading. Both mean exactly the same thing and both are correct — mainen tends to sound slightly more formal or written, while maitoshi is extremely common in everyday speech. Grammatically, 毎年 works as an adverb on its own, with no particle needed before the verb: you simply say maitoshi kimasu (I come every year), not maitoshi ni kimasu. This same 毎〜 pattern extends across the calendar: 毎日 (mainichi, every day), 毎週 (maishuu, every week), 毎月 (maitsuki, every month), and 毎朝 (maiasa, every morning) all follow the identical logic of 毎 + a time unit.
Because 毎年 is already a complete adverb, don’t add a particle before the verb — maitoshi ryokou ni ikimasu (I travel every year) is correct as-is, no ni or wa attached to 毎年 itself. When choosing a reading, default to maitoshi in conversation and casual writing; save mainen for news reports, official announcements, or formal documents where it sounds more polished. Don’t confuse 毎年 with 来年 (rainen, next year) or 去年 (kyonen, last year) — those point to one specific year, while 毎年 repeats indefinitely. Finally, watch for the set phrase 毎年恒例 (maitoshi kourei, “an annual tradition/custom”), which native speakers use constantly to describe recurring festivals, events, and rituals.
Everyday use
毎年、おばあちゃんの家に遊びに行きます。
Maitoshi, obaachan no ie ni asobi ni ikimasu.
Every year, I go visit my grandmother’s house.
Casual / Social Media
桜、今年もきれいだった〜！毎年この時期が待ちきれない😊
Sakura, kotoshi mo kirei datta~! Maitoshi kono jiki ga machikirenai.
The cherry blossoms were gorgeous again this year~! I can’t wait for this season every year.
Formal / Cultural context
この神社の祭りは、毎年恒例の行事として多くの観光客を集めています。
Kono jinja no matsuri wa, mainen kourei no gyouji toshite ooku no kankoukyaku o atsumete imasu.
This shrine’s festival, held annually as a customary event, draws a large number of tourists every year.
Japan’s calendar is structured around 年中行事 (nenchuu gyouji), recurring annual events that give 毎年 constant real-world use. お正月 (New Year’s) brings 毎年 visits to shrines for hatsumoude; お盆 in summer draws families back to their hometowns 毎年 to honor ancestors; and 花見 (cherry blossom viewing) turns into a 毎年 ritual as parks fill with people the moment the sakura forecast is announced. These aren’t one-off celebrations but fixed points that repeat every single year, which is exactly why 毎年 and phrases like 毎年恒例 show up so often in conversation, news, and social media around these seasons.
Beyond festivals, 毎年 is also a useful entry point into how Japanese builds vocabulary systematically. Once a learner internalizes that 毎 attaches to a time noun to mean “every,” the language essentially hands them a formula: swap in 日, 週, 月, or 朝, and a new word appears with predictable meaning and grammar. Recognizing this pattern early — rather than memorizing 毎日, 毎週, and 毎月 as unrelated vocabulary — makes the whole family of “every ___” words far easier to retain and reuse.