続けるContinue doing; keep doing
Attach 続ける to a verb to show that an activity or process continues, or that the same kind of event keeps occurring.
What it emphasizes
続ける directs attention to continuation. The action may last continuously, or it may happen repeatedly as part of an ongoing series. A time expression often shows how long the continuation lasts, but one is not required.
Actions and natural processes
彼女は休まずに三時間ピアノを弾き続けた。
She kept playing the piano for three hours without a break.
Analyze午後になっても、雪は降り続けていた。
Even into the afternoon, the snow was still falling.
Analyze薬を飲み始めてからも、痛みは続いた。
The pain continued even after I started taking the medicine.
AnalyzeHere 続いた is the ordinary verb meaning “continued,” not the suffix attached to another verb.
Continuation, habit, and persistence
Habitual ている presents something as an established recurring pattern, while 続ける highlights maintaining the activity or recurrence. 通す adds the idea of carrying an action through a defined span, and ぬく emphasizes persevering through difficulty until completion. Plain 続ける does not by itself imply either difficulty or a fixed endpoint.
More examples
私はその薬を半年間飲み続けました。
I continued taking that medicine for six months.
Analyze幸い、雨は長く降り続けなかった。
Fortunately, the rain did not continue for long.
Analyzeこれからも日本語を勉強し続けます。
I will keep studying Japanese.
Analyzeその機械は故障した後も動き続けていた。
The machine kept running even after it malfunctioned.
Analyze彼女は何度断られても応募し続けた。
She kept applying no matter how many times she was turned down.
Analyzeこの町では人口が減り続けている。
The population of this town continues to decline.
Analyze