alternately; by turns; in turn
Describes two or more people doing something one after another in a repeated cycle. Often used in casual, everyday contexts.
The children are taking turns on the swing.
I washed the dishes in turns with my older sister.
Standard mixed kanji-kana spelling.
Kanji 番 used for ばん; less common than the mixed spelling.
Derived from 代わり (substitute) + 番 (turn) + こ (diminutive suffix) + に (adverbial particle). The exact historical development is uncertain, but it likely originated in colloquial speech.