ほとんどの時間
hotondo no jikan
The Japanese phrase for "most of the time" is ほとんどの時間 (hotondo no jikan).
ほとんどの時間 is often used when referring to a specific, bounded period of time, such as 'most of the time during the meeting' or 'most of the time during the summer'.
Meaning: on most occasions (adv)
Which one should you use?
While ほとんどの時間 refers to a specific duration or a literal majority of a time period, たいてい is a more common adverb used to mean 'usually' or 'most of the time' in a general sense.
How do you pronounce it?
hotondo no jikan
Did you know?
- The word ほとんど can mean 'most of' or 'almost', creating a paradox where it describes something that is nearly complete but not quite. In some contexts, it can even mean 'hardly any', depending on whether the sentence is positive or negative.
- While ほとんどの時間 literally means 'most of the time', it can sound oddly poetic or dramatic in daily conversation, as if you are describing a significant epoch rather than a simple habit.
- In casual speech, people often shorten the feeling of 'most of the time' by using だいたい (daitai), which can mean 'roughly' or 'approximately' depending on the context.
Examples in context
- ジョーはほとんどの時間スポーツの練習をしている。Joe practices sports most of the time.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use ほとんどの時間 to describe a person's regular activity.Tatoeba #4212781 by User66813, translation #9986678 by tsp_2
- 大抵の場合、日本の電車は時間通りに出発します。Usually, trains in Japan depart on time.
- あのレストランはだいたい予約が必要です。Reservations are usually necessary at that restaurant.
- 彼はほとんどの時間を勉強に使っています。Kare wa hotondo no jikan o benkyou ni tsukatte imasu.He spends most of the time studying.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their holiday.
- 陽葵 Himari旅行はどうだった？Ryokou wa dou datta?How was your trip?
- 健太 Kentaほとんどの時間、雨が降っていたよ。Hotondo no jikan, ame ga futte ita yo.It was raining most of the time.
- 陽葵 Himariそれは残念だったね。Sore wa zannen datta ne.That's too bad.
- 健太 Kentaうん、でもホテルは最高だった。Un, demo hoteru wa saikou datta.Yeah, but the hotel was great.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
