どんどん
Progressively, Rapidly increasing, More and more
Structure
Explanation
どんどん (also written as ドンドン) is a type of Japanese onomatopoeia (オノマトペ), a word that mimetically represents a sound, action, or state. どんどん imitates a repeated, forceful sound like a drumbeat or heavy footsteps. Because of this, it is used to describe something that is progressing at a fast pace or happening one after another without pause, often translated as 'rapidly', 'quickly', or 'by leaps and bounds'.
Much like だんだん, どんどん is an adverb that can be placed before most verbs and adjectives to describe the nature of a change.
- 新しい車を買ってから、どんどん貯金が減っている。Since buying a new car, my savings have been rapidly dwindling.
- 質問があったら、どんどん聞いてくださいね！If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to fire away! (Implies asking one after another without holding back)
While どんどん is often used by itself, it can also be followed by the particle と. However, in modern Japanese, it is very common for this と to be omitted with onomatopoeic adverbs.
- 最近、テクノロジーはどんどんと進化している。Recently, technology has been evolving at a rapid pace.
Caution
It is common for learners to initially confuse どんどん with its counterpart, だんだん. Remember that だんだん describes a slower, more gradual process. It is closer in meaning to the English 'gradually', or 'little by little'.
- 日本に住んで、だんだん日本語が話せるようになってきた。Living in Japan, I have gradually become able to speak Japanese. (Slow progression)
- いい先生を見つけてから、どんどん日本語が話せるようになってきた。Since finding a good teacher, my Japanese has been improving by leaps and bounds. (Rapid progression)
Fun Fact
When と is attached to onomatopoeic words, its function is closely related to one of its primary uses: as a quotation particle. In this sense, と marks the preceding sound or state. This is not so different from how we might use a verb in English to describe a sound. For example:
The clock 'goes' tick-tock.
Here, 'goes' doesn't indicate movement; it simply introduces the sound. The particle と works in a very similar way in Japanese.
Examples
どんどん問題が難しくなる。
The problems are getting progressively more difficult.
どんどん元気になりたい。
I want to get healthier and healthier.
春になって、雪がどんどん溶けている。
Since it's become spring, the snow is rapidly melting.
風がどんどん強くなってきた。
The wind has been getting stronger and stronger.
彼は練習して、どんどんテニスが得意になっていく。
He's practicing, so he's progressively becoming skilled at tennis.
木がどんどん高くなる。
The tree is steadily getting taller.
分からないことがあったら、どんどん質問してください。
If there's something you don't understand, please don't hesitate to ask questions.
技術はどんどん進歩している。
Technology is rapidly advancing.
何もしないと、状況はどんどん悪くなるだろう。
If we don't do anything, the situation will probably get progressively worse.
使わないと知識はどんどん忘れてしまうから、復習が大切だ。
If you don't use it, you'll steadily forget your knowledge, so reviewing is important.
冷めないうちに、どんどん食べてください。
Please go ahead and eat before it gets cold.
昨日休んだから、どんどん仕事が溜まっていく。
Because I took yesterday off, work is rapidly piling up.