How to Say ‘Only sometimes?’ in Japanese
ときどきですか。
tokidoki desu ka
[toh-kee-doh-kee dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: [〜ですか] here sounds like a confirmation: “So, only sometimes?”
🇯🇵 In Japan: Japanese staff often repeat your info as a question to confirm—answer with [はい]/[いいえ] or restate.
Phrase Breakdown
ときどき
tokidoki
[toh-kee-doh-kee]
sometimes; occasionally
Used in confirmation questions: ときどきですか = “Sometimes?” (to check frequency).
ときどきですか。
Sometimes? (Is it occasional?)
ですか
desu ka
(polite question)
Question ending. Here it confirms: “Is it only sometimes?”
だいじょうぶですか。
Are you okay?
Words in this phrase
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
Polite “is/are.” With a time/frequency word it can answer briefly: ときどきです = “Sometimes.”
大丈夫です。
It’s okay.
か
ka
[kah]
question particle
Makes the sentence a question. Often used by medical staff to confirm details.
今ですか。
Now?
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