だんだん・
Four words for a change that keeps going, where English says "more and more". They differ in how the change goes: little by little, fast, or more than it already was.
little by little
The rain has been getting heavier and heavier.
fast, without stopping
The rain has been getting heavier by the minute.
more than it already was
The rain has been getting even heavier.
Where they go
だんだん／どんどん／ますます／次第に + a change
A change is なる (強くなる, 便利になる, 分かるようになる) or a verb such as 増える or 慣れる, often with てくる or ていく after it. どんどん also goes with something you do: どんどん食べる.
| Word | How the change goes | Where |
|---|---|---|
| だんだん | Little by little | Everyday |
| どんどん | Fast, and it doesn't stop | Everyday |
| ますます | More than it already was | Everyday and writing |
| 次第に | Little by little | Writing, news, weather forecasts |
だんだん: little by little
A slow change, the kind you notice after a while: the seasons, getting used to a place, getting better at something.
I've gradually come to understand Japanese.
I'm gradually getting used to my new job, too.
どんどん: fast, and it doesn't stop
Children grow up so fast.
Lately prices just keep going up.
With something you do, どんどん means a lot of it, without holding back.
a teacher
If there's anything you don't understand, ask as much as you like.
ますます: more than it already was
Something was already so, and now it is more so: "even more", "more than ever". When it wasn't so to begin with, ますます doesn't fit.
Studying Japanese has gradually become interesting.
Little by little. It may not have been interesting at first.
Studying Japanese has become even more interesting.
It was interesting already.
With the new station, this town has become even more convenient.
After hearing the explanation, I understood even less.
次第に: だんだん in writing
It means what だんだん means. You read it in novels and articles, and hear it on the news and in weather forecasts. In conversation people mostly say だんだん.
The rain gradually grew heavier.
The rain again, as a novel would put it.
The sky gradually grew light.
a weather forecast
It will gradually clear up in the afternoon.
Close neighbours
少しずつN3
"A little at a time". Unlike だんだん, it needs no change: 毎日少しずつ読む, "read a little every day".
As I kept practicing, I gradually became more confident.
ていく・てくるN4
What often follows the change: てきた when it has been going on up to now, ていく when it goes on from now.
It's getting cold, isn't it?
ば～ほどN3
"The more …, the more …": one thing changes as another grows.
This novel gets more interesting the more you read it.
Check yourself
1Which one says the change is fast?
Choose an answer to see why.
2A host wants you to eat as much as you like. Which one fits?
遠慮しないで、
Choose an answer to see why.
3What does this tell you about the streets by the station?
新しい
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
徐々に is one more "gradually", common in writing and at work.
次第 without に is another word: after a verb stem it is "as soon as", and after a noun "depends on".
More sentences
It's slowly getting dark outside.
My older brother just kept walking on ahead by himself.
Since he stopped working, my grandfather has been livelier than ever.
No なる: ますます can go straight before an adjective.