どんどん
どんどん
adverb
rapidly; steadily; one after another
1.
rapidly, steadily, at a fast pace
Describes continuous and rapid progress or change.
日本語がどんどん上手になっている。
Your Japanese is getting better and better.
Describing progress
仕事がどんどん増えていく。
Work keeps piling up.
技術がどんどん進んでいる。
Technology is advancing rapidly.
気温がどんどん上がっている。
The temperature is rising steadily.
時間がどんどん過ぎていく。
Time keeps passing quickly.
2.
one after another, in succession
Indicates things happening continuously without pause.
人がどんどん入ってきた。
People kept coming in one after another.
Continuous action
客がどんどん来た。
Customers kept coming one after another.
注文がどんどん入る。
Orders keep coming in.
問題がどんどん出てくる。
Problems keep coming up one after another.
新しい店がどんどんできて、町が変わっていく。
New shops keep opening one after another, and the town is changing.
3.
without hesitation, boldly
Encourages doing something without holding back.
どんどん食べてください。
Please help yourself. / Keep eating!
Encouraging without restraint
質問があったらどんどん聞いてください。
If you have questions, please ask freely.
Encouraging participation
どんどん使ってください。
Please use it freely.
どんどん挑戦してください。
Please keep challenging yourself.
どんどん言ってください。
Please speak up freely.
遠慮しないでどんどん取ってください。
Don't hold back, help yourself.
どんどん is an onomatopoeic adverb describing rapid, continuous action or change.
Position: Usually appears before the verb.
[Register: Neutral]
Onomatopoeia origin: Originally mimics the sound of drums (ドンドン), extended to mean 'rapidly' or 'continuously.'
Similar expressions:
- どんどん vs. だんだん: だんだん means 'gradually' (slow change); どんどん means 'rapidly' (fast change).
- どんどん vs. どしどし: Both encourage action, but どしどし is more emphatic and casual.
- どんどん vs. 次々(に): 次々に specifically means 'one after another'; どんどん emphasizes the pace.
Common usage:
- どんどん〜てください: Encouragement to do something freely without holding back
- どんどん〜ていく: Keep ~ing more and more
Orthography: Usually written in hiragana.