常に vs. いつも: Learn To Speak Japanese Powerfully
What is the difference between “常に and いつも”? They have subtle differences. If you have some reason, which is correct: “私は常にバスで学校に行く” or “私はいつもにバスで学校に行く”? After reading this, you would be answering this question. Let me introduce what their subtle differences are and how you correctly use them such as native speakers today!
常に (tsuneni)
Always / 平时 / 항상 / thường thì
“常に” means “Always” and which has been used as the meaning of “every time or all the time”. The basic way to it is “常に___(verb)する/(adjective)だ” such as “常に笑う(always laugh)”, 常賑やかだ(always lively)”, etc. Native speakers tend to use いつも as the meaning of “常に”. Because “常に” is pretty formal in daily conversation.




いつも (itsumo)
Usually (Always) / 总是 / 언제나 / lúc nào cũng
“いつも” means “Usually (Always)” and which has been used as the meaning of “in the way that most often happens”. The basic way to use “いつも” is “私はいつも___(verb)する/(adjective)だ” which means “I usually ___(verb)/ am usually ___(adjective)”. Again native speakers tend to use “いつも” as the meaning of “常に”. So, the meaning of “I always go by bike.” and “I usually go by bike.” can be translated to “私はいつも自転車で行く”. Of course, you could say “私は常に自転車で行く” as the meaning of “I always go by bike.” when you want to emphasize “Always”. Using “いつも” is casual than using “常に”.



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