How to Say "Sometimes" in Japanese

時々

tokidoki[to̞kʲido̞kʲi]

The English word 'sometimes' is translated into Japanese as 時々 (tokidoki). Wiktionary also lists まま (mama).

Meaning: on certain occasions, but not always (adv)

Ways to say it

“sometimes” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
時々	tokidoki	[to̞kʲido̞kʲi] (narrow)
まま	mama	[ma̠ma̠] (narrow)

The term is an adverb used to describe actions or states that occur on certain occasions, but not always.

The word 時々 is formed by repeating the kanji 時, which means 'time'.

While 時々 implies an occasional occurrence, the word よく implies a frequent occurrence.

As an adverb, 時々 can be placed anywhere in a sentence, though it is typically placed at the beginning of the sentence or before the verb.

tokidoki

In the word 時々, the second character undergoes 'rendaku', a phenomenon where a voiceless consonant becomes voiced. This is why 'toki' becomes 'doki' in the middle of the word.
In Japanese, repeating a kanji character like 時 to form 時々 is a linguistic pattern called reduplication used to turn a noun into an adverb.
If you over-use 時々 when explaining your plans or opinions, you may inadvertently come across as indecisive or lacking confidence to a Japanese listener.

彼は時々変です。
Sometimes he can be a strange guy.
This sentence is useful for describing how someone's personality or behavior can change.
Tatoeba #4730 by bunbuku, translation #1303 by djinni74
トムは時々泣く。
Tom sometimes cries.
This sentence is useful for describing a person's occasional habits.
Tatoeba #10919606 by SomeHungryBois, translation #7113951 by CM
時々散歩にでかける。
I sometimes go out for a walk.
This sentence is useful for describing a recurring activity.
Tatoeba #150443 by huizi99, translation #264113 by CK
彼は時々日本料理を食べます。
He sometimes eats Japanese food.
彼はたまに旅行に行きます。
He sometimes goes on trips.
彼女はときどき映画を見る。
She sometimes watches movies.
116 more sentences on Tatoeba

Hiyori and Yota are talking about their eating habits.

陽葵 Himari

時々、外で食事をしますか？
Tokidoki, soto de shokuji o shimasu ka?
Do you sometimes eat out?
陽太 Yota

はい、時々行きますよ。
Hai, tokidoki ikimasu yo.
Yes, I go sometimes.
陽葵 Himari

いいですね。何を食べますか？
Ii desu ne. Nani o tabemasu ka?
That's nice. What do you eat?
陽太 Yota

だいたいパスタを食べます。
Daitai pasuta o tabemasu.
I usually eat pasta.

Sources

Wiktionary, “sometimes” translations and entries 時々, まま, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries まま, 時々, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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