noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective, noun
occasional; infrequent; rare
Describes something that happens only from time to time, not regularly. Most commonly used in the adverbial form たまに.
See also: たまに
As an occasional treat, we went out to eat as a family.
I go to see a movie occasionally.
He spends his occasional days off with his family.
タマ is an even more casual slang abbreviation of 金玉, often heard in set phrases like タマが縮む.
偶 means something happens only occasionally, whereas 頻繁 means something happens often or frequently.
偶 (たま) means 'occasional, rare', while 偶々 (たまたま) shares the same kanji but means 'by chance, coincidentally'—a distinct word and meaning.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana. Included for recognition in older or formal texts.
The standard modern spelling. It is usually written in kana.
Alternate kanji spelling, even rarer than 偶. Mostly encountered in older literature.
A native Japanese word meaning “occasionally” or “rarely”; 偶 is a semantic spelling chosen for its senses of chance or infrequency.