Structure
Verb + 折（に(1)）
［い］Adjective + 折（に(1)）
［な］Adjective + な + 折（に(1)）
Noun + の + 折（に(1)）
(1) には、は
Details
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Formal
About 折には
When the noun 折 'fold' or 'pleat' is used adverbially with the case marking particle に, it indicates a time which may be used as an opportunity to do something. It is often translated as 'on the occasion of (A)', or 'when the chance of (A) comes up'. It is an expression that is primarily used as a formal, positive alternative for 時に, but there are times that it may indicate something negative.
折に may be seen after any structure that could connect to a noun, but will primarily appear after verbs in their standard forms, or nouns followed by の.
Additionally, 折に may occasionally appear as 折には, but the additional は is often omitted.
In most cases, 折に will be used to indicate things that happen 'from time to time', rather than one off events.
Caution
折に appears in several common expressions that each have a slightly different meaning.
- 折に触れて - On the occasion of (A), always (B).
- 折があれば - If there is the chance of (A), (B).
- 折を見て - When the conditions are good for (A).
- 折も折 - At the exact moment of (A).
Related
Examples
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メール、本社の上司に：「お暇な折にぜひ我が支店にお越しください。」
E-mail to a superior from the head office: 'Please, make sure to come to our branch when you are free.'
手紙：「新春のお支度にお忙しい折から、風邪などひかれぬようご自愛下さい。」
Letter: 'Please take care not to catch a cold at this busy time of preparations for a new year.'
お近くにいらっしゃる折には、ぜひうちにご飯を食べに来てください！
On the chance that you will be close by, you’re certainly welcome to come to my place to eat!
宴会をする折には、ぜひうちの居酒屋をご利用くださいませ！
On the occasion of having a banquet gathering, you’re certainly welcome to make use of our izakaya.
オーストラリアへ来る折には、ぜひカンガルーのお肉を食べてみてください。
At the opportunity of coming to Australia, certainly try eating kangaroo meat.
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折には – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (6 in total)
casual
According to DoAJG p507, 際 is acceptable when you cannot say that you are “taking advantage of a good occasion” and therefore 折 is not acceptable.
For example:卒業の｛際・折｝に彼女に振られた。
It would be nice for Bunpro to help distinguish those.
casual
Bunpro article says:
In most cases, 折に will be used to indicate things that happen ‘from time to time’, rather than one off events.
But is this really true, and if it is, what is the alternative for one off events? Or is this just trying to convey that once-in-a-lifetime events happen less frequently than other occasions.
Bunpro’s example sentences do include one-off events such as graduation, meeting a famous author, first trip to Paris.
casual
That’s quite a confusing case.
Online search gives pretty much 0 results for both お暇な折に and お暇の折に. Either search doesn’t pick examples up, or people don’t actually use the word ひま when sending mails to superiors?
JP-JP dictionary lists ひま as a noun, but JMdict lists it as both noun and na-adjective.
hinative has both people saying 暇な時間 and 暇の時間 are both valid, but な is more popular lately, and people saying の is no good.
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