aspect N3 common politewritten
〜一方だ — keeps getting more and more ~
〜一方だ ・ いっぽうだ
Meaning
- keeps getting more and more ~ / only ~s — a one-directional trend that steadily continues
Key sentence
物価は上がる一方だ。
Prices just keep rising.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (dictionary form) + 一方だ | Vる + 一方だ | 増える一方だ (keeps increasing) |
Examples
彼の病状は悪化する一方だ。
His condition just keeps getting worse.
都会の人口は増える一方だ。
The urban population only keeps growing.
When you can't use it
- Takes a dictionary-form verb of change or tendency (increase, decrease, worsen) and the change runs in **one direction only** — often with a worsening or runaway nuance. It can't describe a one-time event.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Keep this apart from 一方で ('on the one hand / meanwhile') and the noun 一方 ('one side'). This 'keeps ~ing' pattern usually carries a negative or runaway trend.
See 〜一方だ in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜一方だ the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.