Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
毎 attaches as a prefix to a time word to mean every single unit without exception (毎食, 毎時), whereas ごとに follows a number-plus-counter noun and marks recurring events at fixed intervals, often with gaps in between (三日ごとに). Use 毎 for things that happen each and every time a unit occurs; use ごとに when an action repeats after a set span, not necessarily every day or hour. Saying 毎三日 is wrong because 毎 already implies every unit and cannot take a number.
- 毎・まい Use 毎 when something happens at every single instance of a time unit, like every meal or every hour.
- ごとに Use ごとに when an action repeats at fixed intervals, such as every third day or after each lesson.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| 毎・まい mai | Every; per | N5 |
| ごとに gotoni | Every / at each interval | N4 |
毎・まい mai
Every; per
Every; per | A prefix which means ‘every (unit of time)’.
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ジーンは 毎食サラダを食べる。
Jean eats salad at every meal.
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台風は 毎時二十キロの速さで北に進んでいる。
The typhoon is moving north at a speed of twenty kilometers per hour.
ごとに gotoni
Every / at each interval
Every | Something takes place regularly in succession after a certain temporal or spatial interval.
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一課ごとに試験がある。
There is a test after every lesson.
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三日ごとにテニスをしています。
I'm playing tennis every third day.
毎・まい and ごとに are JLPT N5–N4 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.