1.
steadily; diligently; persistently
Describes doing something with patient, sustained effort over time, often involving repetitive small actions that accumulate into significant results.
2.
with a tapping or knocking sound
Mimics the sound of hard objects striking a surface repeatedly, such as knocking on a door, footsteps on a hard floor, or tapping with a tool.
Describes patient, sustained effort through small repeated actions. The diligence sense is far more common in everyday conversation than the sound sense. Strongly positive — implies admirable perseverance rather than drudgery.
Common collocations
- こつこつ勉強する: to study steadily
- こつこつ働く: to work diligently
- こつこつ貯める: to save up bit by bit
- こつこつ努力する: to make persistent effort
- こつこつ積み重ねる: to accumulate steadily
Usage
Often paired with 毎日 (every day) to emphasize daily consistency. Can function as an adverb modifying a verb directly, or with the particle と (こつこつと) for a slightly more formal or literary feel. The sound sense typically uses と.
Similar words
- こつこつ vs. 地道に: Both mean "steadily," but こつこつ emphasizes the repetitive, incremental nature of the effort, while 地道に emphasizes the unpretentious, unglamorous quality of the approach.
- こつこつ vs. ちょこちょこ: ちょこちょこ means doing something in small amounts but implies irregularity, while こつこつ implies disciplined consistency.
Related Words
Compare:
ちょびちょび (little by little)