いつも

See also: いづも

Japanese

Alternative spelling
何時も

Etymology

From いつ (itsu, “when”) + も (mo, “even, also”).^[1]^[2]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [it͡sɨmo̞]
(Tokyo) いつも [íꜜtsùmò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[3]^[2]

Adverb

いつも • (itsumo or itsu mo)

always, invariably, all the time
usually
(with a negative verb) never

Usage notes

If this term is part of a comparison phrase such as いつもは (itsumo wa), いつも通(どお)り (itsumodōri), or いつもより (itsumo yori), it means “usually” instead of “always”.

This term is often spelled in romaji as two separate words, itsu mo, fitting its grammatical and etymological composition. However, it is idiomatically often considered a single word like the English word whenever, and therefore also romanized itsumo.

Noun

いつも • (itsumo)

the usual, ordinary
いつもの昼(ちゅう)食(しょく)を食(た)べた。
Itsumo no chūshoku o tabeta.
He ate his usual (for) lunch.

これは例(れい)外(がい)で、いつもとは違(ちが)います。
Kore wa reigai de, itsumo to wa chigaimasu.
This is an exception, and is different from the usual.

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[SMK2-3] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō

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