だんだん

だんだん is an adverb meaning "gradually", "little by little", or "step by step". It describes a change that happens progressively over time, not suddenly. It is placed before the verb or adjective that describes the change.

Basic usage

だんだん is most common with verbs and adjectives that express change, especially なる (to become).

With ～てくる and ～ていく

だんだん pairs naturally with ～てくる (change approaching the present) and ～ていく (change moving away from the present or into the future), which emphasize the direction or progression of the change.

Nuance

だんだん emphasizes that something changes over a period of time in a continuous, incremental way. Compare with きゅうに急に (suddenly), which describes an abrupt change, or すこしずつ少しずつ (little by little), which is similar but focuses more on small individual increments rather than the overall gradual trend.