Nihoner
通う
kayou
also spelled kayo
to go to and from (a place), to go back and forth between, to run between (e.g. bus, train, etc.), to ply between
All Senses
  1. kayou to go to and from (a place), to go back and forth between, to run between (e.g. bus, train, etc.), to ply between; to go to (school, work, etc.), to attend, to commute, to frequent; to circulate (e.g. blood, electricity), to be communicated (e.g. thought); to resemble
How it's used

Used for regularly commuting to school, work, or a recurring destination; more habitual than 行く, which is a single trip.

毎日電車で学校に通っています。
Mainichi densha de gakkou ni kayotte imasu.
I commute to school by train every day.

彼は病院に通っている。
Kare wa byouin ni kayotte iru.
He goes to the hospital regularly.

⚖️ Often confused with 行く (iku), but 通う implies repeated, habitual trips, not a single visit.

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Kanji Breakdown
通
Traffic, Pass Through, Avenue, Commute, Counter For Letters, Notes, Documents, Etc.
On: つう,つ Kun: とお.る,とお.り,-とお.り,-どお.り,とお.す,とお.し,-どお.し,かよ.う
10 strokes N4
How to Use This Word
U-verb (五段動詞)
Pattern
通う (dict) → polite: -ます form → て-form → た-form

💡 Conjugate the final kana to the い-row before adding ます.

Example
よく通うことがあります。
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Found in a wide range of contexts. Useful for building reading and listening fluency.

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🟡 Medium

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