Translation guide
The English word 'recurrent' describes something that happens repeatedly, often at intervals. In Japanese, there is no single direct equivalent; the best choice depends on whether you are talking about events, symptoms, themes, or patterns. This guide covers the most natural ways to express recurrence in Japanese.
Describing events, problems, or situations that occur again and again, often with some regularity.
This problem is recurrent.
It is said that history is recurrent.
Literally 'to recur', used especially for illnesses, symptoms, or problems that come back after being resolved. Common in medical and formal contexts.
This disease is often recurrent.
The same error recurred.
A straightforward phrase meaning 'happens many times'. More colloquial than 繰り返される, and very natural in conversation.
That phenomenon is recurrent.
Means 'to occur frequently'. It emphasizes the high frequency of recurrence. Often used in news or reports about incidents, accidents, or problems.
Traffic accidents are recurrent/frequent.
Describing themes, motifs, or elements that show up again and again in a work, conversation, or natural cycle.
Literally 'appears repeatedly'. Used for motifs, themes, or characters that recur in a story or discussion.
In this novel, the same motif is recurrent.
Means 'periodic' or 'cyclical'. Used when the recurrence follows a regular cycle, like seasons or economic cycles.
Casual way to say 'comes up many times'. Suitable for everyday talk about recurring topics or characters.
Specifically for symptoms or diseases that come back repeatedly.
The adjective form meaning 'recurrent' in a medical sense. Commonly used in phrases like 再発性の病気 (recurrent illness).
He suffers from recurrent headaches.
A verb meaning 'to return' or 'to have a relapse', used for symptoms or illnesses that come back after seeming to improve. More colloquial than .
繰り返される is a general term for anything that repeats. 再発する is specifically for something that was resolved or stopped and then starts again, like a disease or a problem. Use 再発する when there was a clear pause or recovery.
The same mistake is repeated (happens over and over).
The cancer recurred (came back after remission).
English often uses 'recurrent' as an adjective before a noun (e.g., 'recurrent problem'). Japanese usually expresses this idea with a relative clause using a verb like 繰り返される or 再発する, rather than a single adjective. For example, 'recurrent problem' is naturally 繰り返される問題, not a direct adjective-noun pair.
This phenomenon shows a recurrent pattern.
The same topic is recurrent in his stories.
The fever recurred.