段々
Meaning in Englishgradually, little by little
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
段々 means gradually; it describes a change or progression that unfolds in small, successive steps, conveying steady development over time.
Main meanings
- incremental change that unfolds over time
- to describe a trend or change that becomes more pronounced or intense
- often used with だんだんと to emphasize the ongoing nature of the change
How to use it
Used in both spoken and written Japanese to describe a progression that unfolds gradually; common in formal and casual contexts; often placed before verbs or adjectives and frequently accompanied by だんだんと to intensify the sense of progression.
Variants and close terms
- jojo ni, 徐々に — gradual progression
- shidai ni, 次第に — gradual change with a sense of sequence
- dandan to, だんだんと — stronger adverbial form
Composition
- 段: step, tier; 々: repetition marker indicating repetition or continuation; combined they express a sequence of steps leading to gradual change
Etymology
段 means step or level, while 々 is the repetition indicator; together they convey the idea of repeated steps and gradual progression.
Origin
Native to Japanese; a native kanji compound used in classical and modern language, signaling gradual change across contexts.
Word class
adverb (副詞)