時々
ときどき
tokidoki
= sometimes; occasionally; from time to time
Tokidoki (時々) is one of those frequency adverbs that learners of Japanese reach for constantly — and its reduplicated form, where the kanji for ‘time’ is written twice, is itself a lesson in how Japanese expresses repetition and rhythm.
Tokidoki (時々) means ‘sometimes,’ ‘occasionally,’ or ‘from time to time.’ It describes an action that happens with moderate, irregular frequency — less often than yoku (よく, often) but more than tama ni (たまに, rarely / once in a while). The adverb modifies verbs and adjective phrases and sits naturally at the start of a sentence or before the verb: Tokidoki eiga o miru (I sometimes watch movies). The frequency spectrum in Japanese runs roughly: itsumo (always) → yoku (often) → tokidoki (sometimes) → tama ni (occasionally/rarely) → metta ni ~nai (rarely/seldom) → zenzen ~nai (never). Tokidoki occupies the middle of this spectrum and is the most neutral, unmarked choice for ‘sometimes.’
The key distinction to internalize is tokidoki vs tama ni. Both translate as ‘sometimes’ in English, but tama ni implies rarer, more exceptional occurrences: Tama ni pizza o taberu suggests pizza is a rare treat, while Tokidoki pizza o taberu means you eat it with some regularity. For learners, tokidoki is the safer default for ‘sometimes.’ Also note that in weather forecasts, tokidoki appears as a standard meteorological term: hare tokidoki kumori (晴れ時々曇り, sunny with occasional clouds) — you will see this on Japanese weather apps and broadcasts.
時々 uses the single kanji 時 (toki, time / moment) written twice, with the iteration mark 々 replacing the second instance. 時 is composed of 日 (sun, day) on the left and 寺 (ji, temple) on the right — the temple originally marked time by ringing bells, and over time the character came to mean ‘time’ itself. Reduplicated kanji words are common in Japanese: 人々 (hitobito, people), 国々 (kuniguni, countries), 山々 (yamayama, mountains). The repetition creates a sense of plurality or recurrence — 時々 literally feels like ‘time and time again,’ which aligns neatly with its meaning of ‘from time to time.’
Formal / Cultural context
晴れ時々曇り、夕方から雨の予報です。
Hare tokidoki kumori, yūgata kara ame no yohō desu.
Forecast: sunny with occasional clouds, rain from the evening. (weather report — a set phrase where tokidoki is standard meteorological usage)
Everyday use
時々、ふと昔のことを思い出す。
Tokidoki, futo mukashi no koto o omoidasu.
Sometimes, out of nowhere, I find myself remembering the past.
Casual / Social Media
時々さみしくなるけど、まあそんなもんだよね。
Tokidoki sabishiku naru kedo, maa sonna mon da yo ne.
Sometimes I get lonely, but well, that’s just how it is, right? (casual reflection in a message or social post)
The appearance of tokidoki in Japanese weather forecasts (hare tokidoki kumori) is so standardized that it has become a fixed phrase most Japanese people recognize from childhood. Weather in Japan is taken seriously as daily planning information — checking the morning forecast before leaving the house is routine, and the precise vocabulary of gozen (morning) vs gogo (afternoon) weather, combined with frequency adverbs like tokidoki, gives Japanese weather communication a precision that is distinctly Japanese.
In everyday speech, tokidoki often appears in honest self-descriptions that Japanese speakers use to soften an admission or add nuance: Tokidoki ōsake o nomu (I sometimes drink too much) or Tokidoki fuan ni naru (Sometimes I feel anxious). The word carries no moral weight — it simply places a behavior in the ‘occasional’ register, and this neutrality makes it useful for candid, low-stakes conversation about personal habits.