How to use ごとに (goto ni): A Streetwise JLPT N4 Grammar Guide

watch

かれうごとに、ちが高級こうきゅう腕時計うでどけいをしている。
Every time I see him, he’s wearing a different luxury watch.

Category: ,

Yo, so check it. 「ごとに」 is all about sayin’ “each” or “every.” It’s like when you’re countin’ your stacks of cash; you count every single bill. Or like in Goodfellas, when they had to pay their tribute to the boss every single week. It’s about a repeating cycle, something that happens again and again, ya dig? It emphasizes the individual instances within a larger group. It’s not just “all the time,” it’s at each specific time.


Aight, here’s how you hook this grammar up with other words. It’s mad easy, no cap.

Word TypeHow to ConnectExampleEnglish Translation
NounNoun + ごとにいち時間じかんごとに every hour
Verb (Dictionary Form)Verb + ごとにうごとにevery time we meet

Basically, you just slap 「ごとに」 right after a noun or a verb in its dictionary form. No need to get all fancy with it. For nouns, it’s straight up Noun + ごとに. So, if you’re talking about every day, it’s 毎日まいにち ごとに. If you’re talking about every person, it’s とり ごとに. For verbs, you take the plain ol’ dictionary form, like べる (to eat), and add ごとに, so you get べるごとに, which means every time I eat. It’s that simple, straight up.


Think of it like this: you got a crew, right? And every single member of your crew gotta pay their dues. Not just the crew as a whole, but each one, individually. That’s the vibe of 「ごとに」. It’s like putting a spotlight on each and every single event or item in a series.


Here’s some new vocab to add to your little black book.

みかじめ料 (みかじめ りょう)

English: Protection money.

Yo, you run a business on my block? That’s cool. But ain’t nothin’ free in these streets. This right here, the mikajime-ryo, that’s your fee for stayin’ safe. The tax you pay to the big homies so nobody comes and messes with your spot. It’s insurance, see? We get paid, and you don’t gotta worry about fires or random accidents. Pay up, or your little shop might just disappear.


懸賞金 (けんしょうきん)

English: Bounty.

Listen up. There’s a snitch, a rat, someone who done messed with the wrong people. Now, his head is worth a price. We put a kenshoukin, a bounty, on him. That’s the cash reward for whoever brings him in, dead or alive. It’s a straight-up business deal: you handle the problem, we handle the payment. It’s like a hit contract, but for the whole world to see.


脅迫電話 (きょうはく でんわ)

English: Threatening phone call.

You get a call, but it ain’t from your grandma. It’s from someone on the other side, a warning shot over the phone. That’s a kyouhaku-denwa. They ain’t playin’ games. They tellin’ you what’s gonna happen if you don’t fall in line, if you don’t do what they say. It’s a mind game, a scare tactic. They put the fear in you over the line, so you know they for real.


詐欺師 (さぎし)

English: Swindler; scammer.

This dude right here, he ain’t got no honor. He smiles in your face and takes everything you got without even pullin’ a gun. That’s a sagishi, a scammer. He a master of the hustle, runs a game so slick you don’t even know you been robbed until he’s long gone. He sells you the dream, the fake-out, and leaves you with nothin’ but a sad story.


証人 (しょうにん)

English: Witness.

This is the person who saw it all go down. The dude who was there when the deal went sour, when the shots were fired. That’s the shounin, the witness. They got the information, the goods on who did what. They can either talk and put someone away for life, or they can keep their mouth shut and stay outta trouble. Their memory is the key to the whole operation.


Peep these examples to see how the real Gs use it.

証人しょうにんとりごとに、法廷ほうていちが証言しょうげんをした。
Each and every witness gave different testimony in court.

かれうそをつくごとに、はなすこさわくせがある。
He has a habit of touching his nose a little every time he tells a lie.

このファミリーは、世代せだいごとにボスが交代こうたいする。
In this family, the boss changes with every generation.

詐欺さぎは、だます相手あいてごとにちが名前なまえ使つかっていた。
The con artist used a different name for every person he tricked.

かれ脅迫きょうはく電話でんわをかけるごとに、こええている。
He changes his voice every time he makes a threatening phone call.

あたらしいメンバーははいるごとに、忠誠ちゅうせいちかわされる。
Each new member who joins is forced to swear their loyalty.

裏切うらぎものとりごとに、懸賞けんしょうきんがかけられた。
A bounty was put on each and every traitor.

あのヒットマンは、仕事しごと成功せいこうごとにタトゥーをひとれるらしい。
I heard that hitman gets a new tattoo for every successful job.

うちのくみは、みせいっけんごとにみかじめりょう要求ようきゅうする。
Our gang demands protection money from each and every shop.

この刑務所けいむしょでは、いち時間じかんごとに看守かんしゅ巡回じゅんかいる。
In this prison, the guards come around on patrol every hour.


Peace out, homie.

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