時々（ときどき、tokidoき）
- sometimes

The Japanese word 時々 （ときどき） means "sometimes," "occasionally," or "every now and then." It indicates that something happens at irregular intervals, not constantly or always. It describes an action or state that occurs, but not frequently. The core idea is that the event takes place intermittently.

⚫︎時々、映画を見ます。 Translation: I sometimes watch movies. ⚫︎週末時々、公園に行きます。 Translation: I go to the park sometimes on weekends. ⚫︎時々、日本の食べ物が食べたいです。 Translation: I occasionally want to eat Japanese food.

You use 時々 to express the frequency of an action. It is typically placed before a verb to modify it. It can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis. It’s suitable for describing activities that are not regular but occur more than just a single time. Use this word when the frequency of an action is not constant, and not very often.

時々 is typically written in kanji as 時々, but it can also be written in hiragana as ときどき. There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana (送りがな, the hiragana that follows the kanji) is 々 (a repetition mark) and どき.

⚫︎たまに (tamani): occasionally, once in a while. It's a bit more casual. ⚫︎ときおり (tokiori): sometimes, occasionally (more formal). ⚫︎時たま (tokidama): occasionally, every so often (similar nuance as 時々).

⚫︎いつも (itsumo): always, usually ⚫︎毎日 (mainichi): every day ⚫︎常に (tsune ni): always, constantly (formal)

私は時々、友達と電話します。 ・Translation: I sometimes call my friends. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the action of calling friends as something that doesn't happen every day, but more than just once in a blue moon.

時々、日本語の勉強は難しいと思います。 ・Translation: Sometimes, I think studying Japanese is difficult. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses that feeling difficult with Japanese study arises from time to time, not always.

The word 時々 is a compound word. 時 (toki) means "time" or "occasion," and the repeated kanji 々 indicates repetition, similar to "etc." or "and so on". Combining it makes "from time to time."