各(かく)Each, Every, Respective, Various

One of the slightly more formal ways to say that something is happening 'each', or 'every' (A) in Japanese, is by using the prefix 各(かく). While there is no strict rule for when this prefix can be used, it is almost always seen before words of Chinese origin (kanji compounds), or katakana words.

Although this kanji is used to mark 'each', it is very rarely used to mark units of time. The most common/natural usage of 各(かく) is for identifying things that are part of a sequence. For example:

Each/Every stop, on a train line that has many stops.

Each/Every page, in a book that has many pages.

Each/Every floor, in a building that has many floors.

Each/Every house, in a street of many houses.

Fun Fact

This kanji is used in another word, 各々(おのおの), which also means 'each', but is primarily used for identifying people.