Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
“Every instance of,” “each time,” “at intervals of.”
🎯 Primary Function
To indicate the uniform frequency, interval, or distribution of an action or state based on a preceding noun or event.
📋 Grammar Structure
Noun + ごとに / Verb (Dictionary Form) + ごとに
Not typically used directly. (The concept usually requires nominalization or a Noun.)
Not typically used directly. (The concept usually requires nominalization or a Noun.)
Verb (ない form) + ごとに (Less common, but possible for emphasis: やらないごとに)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Common, especially in official documents, instructions, and reports to denote exact regularity (e.g., annual reviews).
Informal Situations
Used casually, often with time or measure words (e.g., “every few days”).
Written Language
Very common in manuals, contracts, scientific papers, and detailed descriptions.
Spoken Language
Frequent when explaining routines, schedules, or consistent outcomes.
💡 Common Applications
Expressing Regular Intervals
Used with temporal or measurable nouns (time, distance, quantity) to indicate a precise, uniform gap between occurrences.
Example: ３時間ごとに薬を飲んでください。 (Sanjikan gotoni kusuri o nonde kudasai.)
Focusing on Individual Items/Instances
Used with nouns to mean “for every single [noun],” emphasizing distribution or individual variation among units.
Example: テーブルごとにメニューが置いてある。 (Tēburu gotoni menyū ga oite aru.)
Expressing Repetitive Action/Condition
Used with a verb to mean “every time the action happens,” highlighting a consistent result or feeling from that repeated event.
Example: 見るごとに感動する。 (Miru gotoni kandō suru.)
Frequency
Common in formal instructions, reports, and descriptive writing, but also used in natural conversation.
Difficulty
N3 Intermediate
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
この本は、読む**ごとに**新しい発見がある。
Furigana: このほんは、よむ**ごとに**あたらしいはっけんがある。
Romaji: Kono hon wa, yomu gotoni atarashii hakken ga aru.
English: Every time I read this book, I find something new.
Example #2
その会社は一年**ごと**にボーナスを支給する。
Furigana: そのかいしゃはいちねん**ごと**にボーナスをしきゅうする。
Romaji: Sono kaisha wa ichinen gotoni bōnasu o shikyū suru.
English: The company provides a bonus every year.
Example #3
この時計は一時間**ごと**に鐘が鳴る。
Furigana: このとけいは いちじかん**ごと**に かねがなる。
Romaji: Kono tokei wa ichijikan gotoni kane ga naru.
English: The bell rings every hour.
Example #4
ページを更新する**ごと**に、内容が変わります。
Furigana: ページをこうしんする**ごと**に、ないようがかわります。
Romaji: Pēji o kōshin suru gotoni, naiyō ga kawarimasu.
English: The content changes every time the page is refreshed.
Example #5
５メートル**ごと**に写真を撮った。
Furigana: ごメートル**ごと**に しゃしんをとった。
Romaji: Go mētoru gotoni shashin o totta.
English: I took pictures every 5 meters.
Example #6
スタッフは毎朝、機器**ごと**に点検を行う。
Furigana: スタッフはまいあさ、きき**ごと**に点検をおこなう。
Romaji: Sutaffu wa maiasa, kiki gotoni tenken o okonau.
English: The staff check the equipment item by item every morning.
Example #7
国**ごと**に独自の文化がある。
Furigana: くに**ごと**に どくじのぶんかがある。
Romaji: Kuni gotoni dokuji no bunka ga aru.
English: Each country has its own unique culture.
Example #8
この電車は二駅**ごと**に停車します。
Furigana: このでんしゃは ふたえき**ごと**にていしゃします。
Romaji: Kono densha wa futa-eki gotoni teisha shimasu.
English: This train stops every two stations.
Example #9
彼は練習する**ごとに**、技術が向上している。
Furigana: かれは れんしゅうする**ごと**に、ぎじゅつがこうじょうしている。
Romaji: Kare wa renshū suru gotoni, gijutsu ga kōjō shite iru.
English: His skill improves every time he practices.
Example #10
人**ごと**にルールが異なります。
Furigana: ひと**ごと**に ルールがことなります。
Romaji: Hito gotoni rūru ga kotonarimasu.
English: The rules are different for every person.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Individual Item/Unit Focus
When referring to individual units (countries, students, tables), ごとに means “each and every” or “by unit.” It emphasizes that every single unit is treated separately.
Example: 学校は組**ごと**に運動場に集まった。 (Gakkō wa kumi gotoni undōjō ni atsumatta.)
Comparison with おきに (Oki ni)
While both “ごとに” and “おきに” (at intervals of) are similar, ごとに strictly means “every 10 minutes (0, 10, 20, 30…),” whereas おきに means “every 10 minutes apart (e.g., 0, 10, 20…)” but can sometimes imply a more relaxed interval. In many frequency contexts, they are interchangeable, but ごとに stresses strict regularity.
Example: 10分**おき**にバスが来る。 / 10分**ごと**にバスが来る。
Literary/Time Usage
Although less frequent than the use of 毎朝 (mai-asa), ごとに can be used with some time nouns (like 朝, 晩) to mean “every morning/evening,” often lending a slightly literary or repetitive tone.
Example: 朝**ごと**に鳥の声が聞こえる。 (Asa gotoni tori no koe ga kikoeru.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 美しいごとに写真を撮る。 (Utsukushii gotoni shashin o toru.)
✅ Use Noun + ごとに or Verb + ごとに.
Do not attach it directly to i-adjectives or na-adjectives. If you want to use it with an adjective idea, you must nominalize the concept first.
❌ 昔ごとに遊びに行った。 (Mukashi gotoni asobi ni itta.)
✅ Use specific countable nouns or precise time/measurements.
Unlike 毎 (mai), ごとに usually emphasizes distribution or clear intervals, making it less suitable for vague periods like 昔 (mukashi).
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral. The politeness of the sentence is determined by the final predicate (e.g., です/ます).
Social Situations: Highly applicable in professional settings for outlining schedules (e.g., “The meeting is every two weeks”) or in descriptive contexts.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese. No significant regional variations.
🔍 Subtle Differences
ごとに vs. 毎 (mai)
毎 (e.g., 毎日, 毎年) is the standard word for “every day/year” and is simply a modifier. ごとに is a grammatical phrase that emphasizes distribution or exact intervals, and can be used with non-time nouns (e.g., 国ごとに).
When to use: Use 毎 for simple, common time frequency (毎日). Use ごとに when stressing exact intervals (e.g., every two days) or individual units (e.g., every person).
ごとに vs. たびに (tabi ni)
たびに means “every time X happens,” often focusing on the experience. ごとに can also mean “every time X happens” (when used with a verb), but it also covers measurable intervals and individual units, making it broader and often more formal/instructional.
When to use: Use たびに for emotional or subjective repeated experiences. Use ごとに for strict regularity, scheduled events, or distribution among countable items.
📝 Conjugation Notes
The particle に is essential for the common usage, although sometimes it can be omitted in a very casual or specific context (e.g., 一年ごと), but Noun + ごとに is the standard structure.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The pitch accent is usually flat (ご・と・に), and the に is pronounced lightly. It is typically read smoothly as a single unit.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ごと as “thing” or “instance.” Thus, Noun + ごとに means “every instance of that thing.” Visualize a clock ticking precisely for every interval.
Other Grammar
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