ちゃんと / きちんと | Grammar

Structure

ちゃんと / きちんと + [verb] ちゃんと / きちんと + した + [noun] ちゃんと / きちんと + している

Description

ちゃんと means "properly": done the way it should be, with nothing skipped. It is an adverb and goes before the verb. きちんと means much the same and leans towards neat and orderly.

。

Do your homework properly.

きごう？

Are you listening properly?

、。

I'll pay back the money without fail, so don't worry.

ちゃんと or きちんと

Most of the time either works. ちゃんと is the everyday word, the one parents use on children, and it stresses that the thing actually gets done. きちんと sounds a little more formal and stresses neatness and order: lines, rooms, clothes, manners.

。

Please line up neatly.

。

I tidied up the room neatly.

。

He is someone who keeps his promises without fail.

ちゃんとした and ちゃんとしている

With する, both words describe a person or a thing. ちゃんとした before a noun is "proper", "decent", and ちゃんとしている is "has it together", "is reliable".

。

I want to find a proper job.

。

Wear proper clothes to the interview.

、。

She's young, but she has it together.

Examples

きごう？

Did you eat breakfast properly?

。

A child who can greet people properly is admirable.

。

Please read the instructions properly before using it.

。

I organized the luggage neatly.

、。

If you don't sleep properly, you'll ruin your health.

。

Wear proper clothes and go to the interview.

、。

I'll pay back the money without fail, so don't worry.

。

Let's make a proper plan before we start.

、きごう「きごう」。

When I was a child, my mother often told me to behave properly.

。

She always takes notes neatly.

。

Please check whether you locked the door properly.

。

People who are punctual are trusted.

References

ちゃんと-きちんとBunpro