Expressions 往おう 々おう にして sometimes; occasionally; now and then Kanji 往 journey, travel, chase away Related words 時とき 々どき More casual and common for 'sometimes'. 往々 is more formal and often used in written language or formal speech.
しばしば Also means 'often' or 'frequently', but 往々 carries a nuance of 'it tends to happen' or 'as is often the case', and is slightly more literary.
Written forms 往おう 々おう Usage 89%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
おうおう Usage 10%
Kana spelling; used when the kanji is avoided or for clarity.
往おう 往おう Usage 1%
Alternate kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.
Etymology From the reduplication of the kanji 往 (going, past), literally 'going and going', which evolved to mean 'sometimes' or 'often' in the sense of recurring events.
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