どんどん

どんどん is an adverb that expresses something happening rapidly, progressively, or one after another without stopping. It conveys a sense of momentum – things are moving forward steadily and noticeably.

Progressive change

The most common use of どんどん is to describe a situation that is continuously changing in one direction – getting bigger, smaller, better, worse, etc. It often pairs with verbs that express change, such as なる, ふえる増える, へる減る, and かわる変わる.

This usage is similar to English expressions like "more and more" or "increasingly."

Doing things without hesitation

どんどん can also describe doing something actively and without hesitation, often encouraging someone to keep going or act boldly.

In this usage, どんどん carries a nuance of encouragement – urging someone to act freely and without reservation.

Rapid succession

どんどん can describe events or actions occurring one after another in quick succession.

Related expressions

どんどん emphasizes speed and momentum, while the similar adverb だんだん emphasizes gradual, slow change. Compare:

• どんどんさむく寒くなってきた。

  It's gotten cold rapidly.
• だんだんさむく寒くなってきた。

  It's gradually gotten cold.