N5 — outside your level filter
▸Related patterns8
Similar
- あいだに
とき points at an occasion, whether instant or ongoing (着いたとき works fine). あいだに instead needs an ongoing stretch, with the event strictly inside.
- あいだ
とき needs no duration at all, 子供のとき works fine. あいだ needs a stretch with two clear ends, so 子供のあいだ sounds off.
- 場合
場合 reads as a contingency, not a located past event. ×駅に着いた場合、電話した is odd where 駅に着いたとき、電話した is the ordinary way to narrate what actually happened.
- まえに
まえに marks the later event, so the rest happens first, always (寝るまえに歯を磨く). とき just says they happen together, with no fixed order (来るとき).
- 際に
際に is とき's formal partner, for notable or official moments (契約の際に). とき allows any moment at all, trivial or not (帰るとき).
- た途端に
とき just places two events together, with no claim on closeness (座ったとき is neutral). とたんに needs the second event almost at once, and reads as a jolt (座ったとたんに椅子が壊れた).
- たびに
とき can mean "every time" too, with help from いつも (忙しいときはいつも音楽を聴く). たびに needs no such help, and makes the repeat explicit on its own (忙しくなるたびに音楽を聴く).
▸Same meaning4
when; on the occasion of — plain to formal
▸All examples7
子どものとき、ここは全部田んぼだったんだよ。
kodomo no toki, koko wa zenbu tanbo datta n da yo.
When I was a kid, this whole area was rice fields. casual
学生のとき、京都に住んでいました。
gakusei no toki, kyouto ni sunde imashita.
When I was a student, I lived in Kyoto. neutral
お出かけのときは、戸締まりをご確認ください。
odekake no toki wa, tojimari o go kakunin kudasai.
When you go out, please make sure the doors are locked. formal
りんごは小さいとき、まだ酸っぱいです。
ringo wa chiisai toki, mada suppai desu.
An apple is still sour when it's small. neutral
この店は暇なとき、割引をします。
kono mise wa hima na toki, waribiki o shimasu.
This shop gives discounts when it's slow. neutral
大阪へ行くとき、駅でお弁当を買った。
oosaka e iku toki, eki de obentou o katta.
I bought a boxed lunch at the station when going to Osaka (on the way there). neutral
大阪へ行ったときさ、たこ焼き食べたよ。
oosaka e itta toki sa, takoyaki tabeta yo.
When I went to Osaka (once there), I had takoyaki. casual
▸How it's formed5
▸Notes
Tense before とき is relative to the main verb, not to now: 行くとき=
still on the way, 行ったとき=already there, even in a past sentence.