Zutto is mainly used in three different ways in Japanese, explained

What does “zutto” mean in Japanese?

Probably, many Japanese learners know “zutto” as it is quite often used in Japanese conversations. Native speakers use it mainly in three different ways: to express a long duration; to emphasize a degree of distance in time or space; to emphasize its following adjective or adverb. In this blog post, I will explain these three types with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “zutto” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• “Zutto” to express a long duration
  • Example #1: how to express a long duration
• “Zutto” to emphasize a degree of distance in time or space
  • Example #2: how to emphasize a degree of distance
• “Zutto” to emphasize its following word
  • Example #3: how to emphasize the meaning of an adjective
• Summary

“Zutto” to express a long duration

Let me start with “zutto” used to express a long duration.

• zutto – ずっと : an adverb meaning ‘for a long time’, ‘all the time’, or such in Japanese.

Native speakers use this type of “zutto” to express a long duration in Japanese. It is often translated into English as ‘for a long time’, ‘all the time’, or such. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to express a long duration

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject in the sentence.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, use this often as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, actually, this is used to mean ‘to like’.
• deshi – でし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “desu”, which is used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “deshi” to make its past tense form.

This is a typical usage of this type of “zutto”. In the example, this is used to express the continuity of the state of loving “kanojo”: “kare” has liked “kanojo” for a long time. It is reflected as ‘to have always liked’ in translation.

Unlike the other two types, this type can work alone: it does not need any adjective, verb, or phrase after it. It’s worth knowing.

“Zutto” to emphasize a degree of distance in time or space

Next, let me explain “zutto” used to emphasize a degree of distance in time or space.

• zutto – ずっと : an adverb used to emphasize the meaning of ‘far in time’ or ‘far in space’ in Japanese.

Native speakers use this type of “zutto” to emphasize a degree of distance in time or space in Japanese; they use it to express something far away in time or space from something else. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to emphasize a degree of distance

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tōi – 遠い (とおい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘far’ or ‘distant’ in Japanese.
• kuni – 国 (くに) : a noun meaning ‘country’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “zutto tōi kuni” to say where “kanojo” has gone.
• it – 行っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is a typical usage of this type of “zutto”. In this example, it works together with the i-adjective, “tōi”, to say “a very far country” in Japanese. Like this example, this type usually works together with an i-adjective meaning ‘far in time’ or ‘far in space’ in Japanese. So, it can not work alone.

“Zutto” to emphasize its following word

Lastly, let me explain “zutto” used to emphasize the meaning of its following word.

• zutto – ずっと : an adverb meaning ‘much’, ‘far’, or such in Japanese.

Native speakers use this type of “zutto” to emphasize the meaning of its following adjective or adverb. In a way, the last type explained above can be considered as a special use case of this type. Then, let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to emphasize the meaning of an adjective

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• shiken – 試験 (しけん) : a noun meaning ‘exam’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• muzukashikat – 難しかっ (むずかしかっ) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “muzukashii“, which means ‘difficult’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is a typical usage of this type of “zutto”. In this example, it works together with the conjugated i-adjective, “muzukashikat”, to say “very difficult” in Japanese. Like this example, this type needs an adjective or adverb to make an emphasized expression.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the three different types of “zutto” with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• zutto – ずっと :
  • an adverb meaning ‘for a long time’, ‘all the time’, or such in Japanese. Native speakers use this type of “zutto” to express a long duration. Unlike the other two types, this “zutto” can work alone: it does not need any adjective, verb, or phrase after it.
  • an adverb used to emphasize the meaning of ‘far in time’ or ‘far in space’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this type of “zutto” to emphasize a degree of distance in time or space in Japanese; they use it to express something far away in time or space from something else. This can not work alone.
  • an adverb meaning ‘much’, ‘far’, or such in Japanese. Native speakers use this type of “zutto” to emphasize the meaning of its following adjective or adverb. In a way, the last type explained above can be considered as a special use case of this type.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.