LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Sep 30, 2026

Next in Japanese: 次つぎ, 今度こんど, 来週らいしゅう — and the 今度こんど that can mean "this

Japanese has no single word for "next" — you pick from 次つぎ (next in order), 今度こんど (this or next occasion), 来らい〜 (the next calendar unit), 翌よく〜 (the following one, told from the past) and 隣となり (next to), depending on which kind of "next" you mean.

Learners usually meet 次つぎ first, use it for everything, and then get puzzled when a Japanese friend says 今度こんど and something quite different happens. This article sorts the options by the question each one answers: which one comes after this? when? what is beside me?

The basics

What does 次つぎ mean, and when do I use it?

次つぎ (つぎ) means "the next one in a sequence" — the next station, the next person in line, the next thing to do. It answers "what comes after this one?", and it does not care about the calendar.

次つぎの駅えきで降おります。 — I'll get off at the next station. (polite, on a train) 次つぎは私わたしの番ばんです。 — Next is my turn. (polite, in a queue or game) 次つぎの人ひと、どうぞ。 — Next person, please. (polite, shop staff or a clinic)

Notice the pattern: 次つぎの + noun. The は in 次つぎは私わたしの番ばんです marks "as for the next one," which is the natural way to announce whose turn is coming.

What is the difference between 来週らいしゅう and 次つぎの週しゅう?

来週らいしゅう (らいしゅう) means "next week" on the calendar — the week after the one you are in. The same idea gives 来月らいげつ (らいげつ, next month) and 来年らいねん (らいねん, next year). These are the words you want for plans and appointments.

来週らいしゅうの月曜日げつようびに会あいましょう。 — Let's meet next Monday. (polite, making plans) 来月らいげつ、東京とうきょうに引っ越ひっこします。 — I'm moving to Tokyo next month. (polite) 来年らいねんは日本語能力にほんごのうりょく試験しけんを受うけます。 — I'll take the JLPT next year. (polite)

You can say 次つぎの週しゅう, and it is not ungrammatical, but it means "the following week" in a counting sense — the next one in a list of weeks — so it sounds odd for "next week" in everyday plans. Use 来週らいしゅう and you will sound like everyone else. For weekdays and dates, see days of the week and dates in Japanese.

What does 今度こんど mean?

今度こんど (こんど) means "this coming time" or "next time" — a nearby occasion that has not happened yet, without saying exactly when. That vagueness is the whole point of the word.

今度こんどの日曜日にちようびは空あいていますか。 — Are you free this coming Sunday? (polite, a real invitation with a date) 今度こんど、一緒いっしょに飲のみに行いこう。 — Let's go for a drink together sometime. (casual, often a friendly gesture rather than a plan)

Two things to hold onto. First, 今度こんどの日曜日にちようび points at the nearest Sunday that is still ahead of you, so English learners often translate it "next Sunday" and then worry which Sunday it is. When a date really matters, ask again or name the date: 何日なんにちですか。Second, 今度こんど with no date attached is frequently a soft, sociable phrase. I would not treat 今度こんど飲のみに行いこう as a booked plan. If someone means it, they usually follow up with a day.

Beyond the basics

Can 今度こんど really mean "this time" instead of "next time"?

Yes — 今度こんど points at the occasion that is happening now or arriving very soon, so depending on context it can be "this time" as well as "next time." That is the surprise in this article, and the reason it trips up learners.

今度こんどこそ合格ごうかくします。 — I'll pass this time for sure. (determined, before or during an attempt) 今度こんどは私わたしがおごります。 — It's on me next time. (polite, said after someone else paid)

The two sentences use the same word for what English splits into "this time" and "next time." 今度こんどこそ is a set phrase for "this time, for sure." 今度こんどは私わたしが… after a meal points forward to the next meal. Context decides, and you should let it: if you are unsure which one you heard, the safest reply is a short question, いつですか。

A related word is 今回こんかい (こんかい), "this time," used for a specific occasion you are talking about right now. For 前回ぜんかい, 今回こんかい and 次回じかい as a set, see 前回ぜんかい・今回こんかい・次回じかい.

What about 今度こんど versus あとで?

今度こんど is for a future occasion, roughly "some other time," while あとで means "later" within the same day or situation. They live in different time ranges. If you tell a friend 今度こんど話はなすね, you are pushing it to another meeting; あとで話はなすね means later today, in this same stretch of time. The pair is covered in later and soon in Japanese, which is a good companion read.

How do 翌よく〜 words work?

翌よく (よく) means "the following" and is counted from a point in the past or in a story, not from today. You will see 翌日よくじつ (よくじつ, the next day), 翌週よくしゅう (よくしゅう, the following week), and 翌朝よくあさ (よくあさ, the next morning).

翌日よくじつ、彼かれは学校がっこうを休やすみました。 — The next day, he was absent from school. (written or narrated, past) 翌朝よくあさ、雨あめは止やんでいた。 — The next morning, the rain had stopped. (written, narration)

Compare: 来週らいしゅう is next week from now. 翌週よくしゅう is the week after some earlier moment you are describing. In English you would use "the following week" for that, and it is the closer match. These words feel written and formal, so you will meet them in news, novels and narration far more than in casual speech. In a story you may also hear 次つぎの日ひ (つぎのひ), which is the plainer, spoken way to say the same thing.

Is 隣となり about time or place?

隣となり (となり) is about place — it means "next to" or "the one beside you," not "the one after." English uses the same word for both ideas, which is why learners sometimes say the wrong one.

隣となりの席せき、空あいていますか。 — Is the seat next to you free? (polite, on a train or in a café) 隣となりの部屋へやはうるさいです。 — The room next door is noisy. (polite, complaining)

When you say 隣となりに座すわる, you sit beside someone. For the wider family of location words such as 横よこ, 前まえ, 後うしろ and 近ちかく, see Japanese position words.

What is 次回じかい, and how is it different from 次つぎ?

次回じかい (じかい) is "next time" in a polite, written style — a scheduled next occurrence of something. You will read it on slides, emails, notices and websites.

次回じかいは来週らいしゅうの火曜日かようびです。 — The next session is next Tuesday. (polite, a class or meeting notice) 次回じかいもお楽たのしみに。 — Look forward to next time. (set phrase at the end of a show or a blog post)

It is also the word behind 次回予告じかいよこく, the "next episode" preview at the end of many anime. If you have heard a narrator read the teaser for the following episode, that is the word doing its job. In conversation with friends, people usually say 今度こんど or 次つぎ instead. For the 前回ぜんかい half of this pair, go back to the 前回ぜんかい・今回こんかい・次回じかい article.

How do I say "next" in steps, like "first, then next"?

次つぎに (つぎに) means "next" or "then" when you are listing steps in order. It goes between まず (first) and 最後さいごに (finally).

まず手てを洗あらって、次つぎに野菜やさいを切きります。 — First wash your hands, then cut the vegetables. (polite, giving instructions) 次つぎに、ここをクリックしてください。 — Next, please click here. (polite, a tutorial)

Here 次つぎ acts as a time-order marker rather than a "person" or "station" marker, and it is the one to reach for when you write or give a demo.

Common mistakes

  • Using 次つぎの週しゅう for "next week." It is understandable, but it sounds like counting weeks in a list. Say 来週らいしゅう.
  • Treating 今度こんど as a confirmed plan. With no day or time, 今度こんど often keeps things friendly and open. Do not wait by the phone.
  • Using 隣となり for "the next one." 隣となりの駅えき is the adjacent station beside another, which can be a fine answer to "which station is on either side?" but it is not "the next stop on this train." That is 次つぎの駅えき.
  • Using 翌週よくしゅう in a text to a friend. It is correct, but stiff and written, and it points backward from a past moment.
  • Reading 今度こんど only as future. In sentences like 今度こんどこそ, it points at the attempt in front of you.

One table: English "next" and its Japanese partners

English "next" Japanese Points at Feel
next in line, order 次つぎ (つぎ) the next one in a sequence neutral
next week / month / year 来週らいしゅう・来月らいげつ・来年らいねん the calendar unit after this one neutral, everyday
next time / this time 今度こんど (こんど) a nearby occasion, vaguely dated spoken, sociable
the following day / week 翌日よくじつ・翌週よくしゅう the one after a past moment written, narration
next to, beside 隣となり (となり) position, not time neutral
next time (scheduled) 次回じかい (じかい) the scheduled next occurrence polite, written
next, then (steps) 次つぎに (つぎに) the next step neutral, instructions

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 5 and 6 are a pair — the same English word "next", two different meanings in Japanese.

1. You are on a train and want to say "I'll get off at the next station." Which word for "next" do you use?

Show answer

次つぎの駅えきで降おります — 次つぎ marks the next one in a sequence, and stations along a line are a sequence.

2. How do you say "next week" in an everyday plan?

Show answer

来週らいしゅう — 来らい〜 counts the calendar unit after the current one. 次つぎの週しゅう would sound like counting weeks in a list.

3. A friend says 今度こんど、飲のみに行いこう with no day. Is that a booked plan?

Show answer

Not necessarily — 今度こんど without a date is often a friendly gesture, so wait for a follow-up with a day before treating it as a plan.

4. In 今度こんどこそ合格ごうかくします, does 今度こんど mean "next time" or "this time"?

Show answer

This time — 今度こんど points at the occasion happening now or very soon, and 今度こんどこそ is a set phrase meaning "this time for sure."

5. Say "Is the seat next to you free?" — you are talking about position.

Show answer

隣となりの席せき、空あいていますか — 隣となり means beside, so it answers "what is next to me?" This is the pair to question 6.

6. Say "Next person, please." — you are talking about order.

Show answer

次つぎの人ひと、どうぞ — 次つぎ means the one after this one in a sequence. 隣となりの人ひと would be the person standing beside you, which is a different idea.

7. Which word fits a narration in the past: 来週らいしゅう or 翌週よくしゅう?

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翌週よくしゅう — 翌よく counts from a past moment in a story ("the following week"), while 来週らいしゅう counts from today.

8. You are writing a class notice and want a polite, written "next time." Which word?

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次回じかい — 次回じかい is the scheduled next occurrence in a polite written style, as in 次回じかいは来週らいしゅうの火曜日かようびです.

9. You are giving cooking instructions. Which word joins "first wash your hands" to "then cut the vegetables"?

Show answer

次つぎに — 次つぎに marks the next step in order, between まず and 最後さいごに: まず手てを洗あらって、次つぎに野菜やさいを切きります.

10. Someone says 今度こんどは私わたしがおごります after dinner. Is the treat this meal or the next one?

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The next one — after someone else has paid, 今度こんどは points forward to the next meal: "it's on me next time."

A trial lesson is a good place to plan the next lesson and the next trip, choosing between 次つぎ, 今度こんど and 来週らいしゅう each time.

FAQ

Is 今度こんど "this time" or "next time"? Both, depending on context. It points at a nearby occasion that has not finished, so 今度こんどこそ is "this time for sure" and 今度こんどは私わたしが… after a meal is "next time it's on me."

Can I always use 来週らいしゅう instead of 次つぎの週しゅう? For "next week" in ordinary plans, yes. 次つぎの週しゅう is possible, but it sounds like the following item in a series of weeks rather than the calendar week after this one.

Is 今度こんど a polite way to say no? Often it is a soft, friendly way to leave a suggestion open, especially with no date attached. If you want a real plan, name a day: 今度こんどの日曜日にちようびはどうですか。

What is the difference between 次つぎ and 次回じかい? 次つぎ is general and everyday: the next station, the next person. 次回じかい is a polite written word for the scheduled next occurrence, such as the next class or the next episode.

How do I say "next to" in Japanese? Use 隣となり (となり), as in 隣となりの席せき. It expresses position, not time.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

次	つぎ — next (in order)
次に	つぎに — next, then (in steps)
次回	じかい — next time, next occasion
今度	こんど — this time, next time, this coming
今回	こんかい — this time (a specific occasion)
来週	らいしゅう — next week
来月	らいげつ — next month
来年	らいねん — next year
翌日	よくじつ — the next day, the following day
翌週	よくしゅう — the following week
隣	となり — next to, beside, next door
駅	えき — station
席	せき — seat
番	ばん — turn
飲みに行く	のみにいく — to go for a drink
おごる	おごる — to treat someone (pay for them)

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, where "next" is a small English word that hides several Japanese choices. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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