connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
ときには — at times
ときには
Builds on とき / 時
Meaning
- at times / sometimes / on occasion — points out that something happens now and then, often as an exception to the usual
Key sentence
ときには、息抜きも必要だ。
At times, you need a breather too.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence-initial adverbial, or N + のときには | ときには + [clause] | ときには厳しく / 失敗のときには |
Examples
ふだんは優しい先生だが、ときには厳しく叱る。
He's usually a gentle teacher, but at times he scolds sternly.
ときには立ち止まって、過去を振り返るのもいい。
Sometimes it's good to stop and look back on the past.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Built from とき ('time') + には. The に+は frames these occasions as a topic set against the ordinary ('on the times when…'). 時には is also written with kanji.
See ときには in real sentences
Jengo shows ときには 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 Intermediate Japanese Grammar.