かねがね

か

ね

が

ね

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

adverb

for some time now; already; since long ago

usually written using kana alone

Expresses that something has been the case for a while, often with a nuance of having felt or thought something for some time. Used in formal or written contexts.

かねがねお噂うわさは伺うかがっておりました。
I have heard about you for some time now.
その問もん題だいについてはかねがね疑ぎ問もんに思おもっていた。
I had been wondering about that issue for quite a while.

Written forms

かねがねUsage98%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 兼々, 予々, 兼兼, 予予, 兼ね兼ね are rare and mostly seen in older texts.
予かね予がねUsage1%
Rare kanji spelling; may be encountered in formal or literary contexts.
予かね々がねUsage1%
Rare kanji spelling; may be encountered in formal or literary contexts.
兼かね々がね
Rare kanji spelling; may be encountered in formal or literary contexts.
兼かね兼がね
Rare kanji spelling; may be encountered in formal or literary contexts.
兼かね兼がね
Rare kanji spelling; may be encountered in formal or literary contexts.

Kanji

兼concurrently, and, beforehand
予beforehand, previous, myself

Similar words

前まえ々まえから
More casual and commonly used in everyday speech, while かねがね is formal and often used in set phrases like かねがねお噂は伺っておりました.
以い前ぜんから
Neutral and widely used; かねがね carries a more literary or polite tone.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 兼ねる (kaneru, 'to combine' or 'to serve as both') with reduplication, suggesting something that has been ongoing or overlapping from the past. The exact historical development is uncertain.