1.
here and there; scattered; dotted about
Describes things distributed sparsely and irregularly across a surface or area, like dots on a canvas.
島が点々と浮かんでいる。
Islands are scattered across the water.
野原に花が点々と咲いている。
Flowers are blooming here and there in the field.
雪の上に動物の足跡が点々と続いていた。
Animal footprints dotted the snow, trailing off into the distance.
USAGE:
点々と is an adverb describing things distributed sparsely like dots. It conveys a visual image of items spread out with space between them.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 点々と散らばる (to be scattered about)
- 点々と続く (to continue in a dotted line)
- 点々と浮かぶ (to float here and there)
GRAMMAR:
点々 can also be used as a noun meaning "dots" or "dotted marks." When used with と, it functions as an adverb.