繰り返し

• Reading: くりかえし
• Romaji: kurikaeshi
• Kanji breakdown: 繰 (ku/ku) — to reel, to repeat; 返 (hen/kae) — to return, to repeat
• Pronunciation: /kɯɾikaːeɕi/

Meaning

Repetition; recurrence; iteration. The act of doing or occurring again, whether deliberate or unintentional.

Functions as both a noun and adverb. As a noun it refers to repetition in general; as an adverb (繰り返し〜する) it means repeatedly or over and over. Neutral in tone — can describe productive practice (drilling vocabulary) or unwanted cycles (repeating mistakes).

Examples

1. 繰り返しの練習が上達への近道だと先生に言われた。 The teacher told me that repeated practice is the fastest path to improvement.
2. 歴史は繰り返すと言うが、今また同じ過ちが起きている。 They say history repeats itself, and now the same mistake is happening again.
3. 繰り返し確認したにもかかわらず、ミスが残っていた。 Despite checking repeatedly, errors still remained.

Usage Guide

Context: education, philosophy, daily life, history

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the verb 繰り返す (kurikaesu, to repeat), itself combining 繰る (to reel/wind) and 返す (to return). The image is of winding back and starting again.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal