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点々 (てんてん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle
here and there ; sporadically ; in drops
Describes something scattered or occurring intermittently across space or time; often used with と (点々と). Can refer to physical dots, scattered objects, or sporadic events.
彼かれ の 日にっ 記き に は 点てん 々てん と 面おも 白しろ い エピソード が 書か か れ て いる 。
Interesting episodes are written sporadically in his diary.
2
noun
dots ; spots
Refers to the marks or spots themselves, often in a pattern or scattered arrangement. Can be used for physical dots, stains, or as a noun modifier.
Written forms 点てん 々てん Usage 81%
Standard kanji spelling using the iteration mark 々.
てんてん Usage 10%
Kana spelling is common in informal writing and when the kanji is not needed.
テンテン Usage 6%
点てん 点てん Usage 4%
Variant spelling without the iteration mark; less common but still used.
Similar words 点てん 点 is a single dot or point, while 点々 emphasizes multiple dots or a scattered distribution.
ちらほら ちらほら also means 'here and there' or 'sporadically', but is more casual and often used for things beginning to appear, like cherry blossoms or gray hair.
Etymology Reduplication of 点 (てん, 'dot, point'), with the iteration mark 々 indicating repetition. The adverbial sense derives from the image of dots scattered around.
