Usage patterns 常々つねづね〜 〜 と 思おも っている to have always thought that ~
He had always thought he should study more.
常々感つねづねかん じている to have constantly felt (something)
I've always felt that there are limits to this job.
常々つねづね〜 〜 と 言い っている to have always been saying ~
My mother has always said that health is the most important thing.
Related words· 6 常に is a plain, neutral adverb for 'always/constantly', while 常々 adds a reflective, ongoing-habit nuance and often pairs with verbs like 思う or 言う .
いつも is the everyday, casual word for 'always', whereas 常々 is more formal and stresses a long-standing habitual state.
日頃 focuses on 'in daily life/normally' as a backdrop for other actions, while 常々 emphasizes a continuously held thought or feeling.
平素 is a very formal, business-letter word for 'usually', while 常々 is somewhat formal but still usable in everyday reflective speech.
Show 2 more Show fewer 常々 emphasizes a habitual or repeated state ('all along, constantly'), while かねて emphasizes that a single plan or fact has existed since an earlier point in time.
常々 means 'habitually, all along' and modifies verbs of attitude or habit, while 日々 more literally marks day-by-day occurrence or passage of time.
Written forms 常つね 々づね Usage 75%
Standard kanji spelling; common in news and formal writing.
つねづね Usage 23%
Kana spelling; used for clarity or in casual writing.
常つね 常づね Usage 2%
Alternate kanji spelling; less common than 常々 .
Etymology Reduplication of 常 (つね , 'usual, ordinary'), emphasizing continuity or habitualness. The reading つねづね reflects rendaku (sequential voicing) on the second element.
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
