What is the formal way to say "しょっちゅう"?


" **時々** " means " _sometimes_ " and " **しょっちゅう** " means " _frequently_ ",
right? And, the meaning is well short of "いつも".

Now, I can't imagine "しょっちゅう" is used in writing or formal speaking, right?

So, what is the proper way to express the idea of "しょっちゅう"?




Yes, you are right that "しょっちゅう" is not appropriate in a formal context. As
others said, "度々（たびたび）", "頻繁に（ひんぱんに）", "よく" are good in formal contexts. I
would like to add "繰り返し（くりかえし）" and "何度も（なんども）" as more options when you want
to express that something happens repetitively.

Let me give an example in which "しょっちゅう" sounds wierd. Suppose that a head of
a company comes up to a press conference and apologizes about a sequence of
accidents revealed by a journalist. If he says,
"社内で調査しましたところ、同種の事故がしょっちゅう発生していたことが判明いたしました。申し訳ございません。", that sounds strange.
He should say, "社内で調査しましたところ、同種の事故が度々、発生していたことが判明いたしました。申し訳ございません。", or he
could replace "度々" with "頻繁に", "繰り返し", or "何度も". In this example, "よく" does
not fit well.

As another example, if you want to say "I am sorry for calling you many
times.", "しょっちゅうお電話差し上げて申し訳ございません。" sounds strange. The mode of formality is
obviously different between "しょっちゅう" and the rest of the sentence. You should
say, "度々お電話差し上げて申し訳ございません。". You can replace "度々" with "何度も" or "繰り返し", but
"頻繁に" sounds a little strange somehow. In this example, "よく" does not make
sense.

As yet another example, if you want to say, "I often came to this library when
I was a student." in a speech upon the closing ceremony of the library, then
you will say, "私は学生のとき、この図書館によく来たものです。" but not "私は学生のとき、この図書館にしょっちゅう来ていました。"
unless you want to present yourself as a relaxed and friendly person.

As a final example, if a policeman writes an official report stating that a
suspect has visited the victim's house frequently, he will write,
"被疑者は被害者の家を頻繁に訪れていた。". He can use "何度も" and "繰り返し" in this context. It is
strange to see "しょっちゅう" in such an official document as well as in an academic
thesis, a news paper, etc.




Yes, you are right that "しょっちゅう" is not appropriate in a formal context. As
others said, "度々（たびたび）", "頻繁に（ひんぱんに）", "よく" are good in formal contexts. I
would like to add "繰り返し（くりかえし）" and "何度も（なんども）" as more options when you want
to express that something happens repetitively.

Let me give an example in which "しょっちゅう" sounds wierd. Suppose that a head of
a company comes up to a press conference and apologizes about a sequence of
accidents revealed by a journalist. If he says,
"社内で調査しましたところ、同種の事故がしょっちゅう発生していたことが判明いたしました。申し訳ございません。", that sounds strange.
He should say, "社内で調査しましたところ、同種の事故が度々、発生していたことが判明いたしました。申し訳ございません。", or he
could replace "度々" with "頻繁に", "繰り返し", or "何度も". In this example, "よく" does
not fit well.

As another example, if you want to say "I am sorry for calling you many
times.", "しょっちゅうお電話差し上げて申し訳ございません。" sounds strange. The mode of formality is
obviously different between "しょっちゅう" and the rest of the sentence. You should
say, "度々お電話差し上げて申し訳ございません。". You can replace "度々" with "何度も" or "繰り返し", but
"頻繁に" sounds a little strange somehow. In this example, "よく" does not make
sense.

As yet another example, if you want to say, "I often came to this library when
I was a student." in a speech upon the closing ceremony of the library, then
you will say, "私は学生のとき、この図書館によく来たものです。" but not "私は学生のとき、この図書館にしょっちゅう来ていました。"
unless you want to present yourself as a relaxed and friendly person.

As a final example, if a policeman writes an official report stating that a
suspect has visited the victim's house frequently, he will write,
"被疑者は被害者の家を頻繁に訪れていた。". He can use "何度も" and "繰り返し" in this context. It is
strange to see "しょっちゅう" in such an official document as well as in an academic
thesis, a news paper, etc.

