Japanese Grammar: やっと (yatto) – Expressing ‘At Last’ and ‘Finally’

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Japanese Grammar: やっと (yatto) – Expressing ‘At Last’ and ‘Finally’
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

Finally, at last, barely.

🎯 Primary Function

To indicate that a desired result has been achieved after a long time, much effort, or difficulty.

📋 Grammar Structure

やっと + [Verb (usually dictionary or past form)]
やっと + [I-Adjective (past form)]
やっと + [Na-Adjective (past form)]
(Rarely used in negative forms as it implies a result was reached)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in polite conversation, though ‘yōyaku’ is slightly more formal.

😊 Informal Situations

Extremely common in daily casual speech with friends and family.

✍️ Written Language

Common in journals, stories, and personal letters.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Used frequently to express emotions like relief or joy.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing Relief
Used when a long or difficult task is completed, and the speaker feels relieved.
Example: やっと終わった！ (Finally finished!)
Desired Outcome
Used when something the speaker has been waiting for for a long time actually happens.
Example: やっと会えましたね。 (We finally met, haven’t we?)
Barely/With Difficulty
Can also mean ‘just’ or ‘barely’ in terms of capacity or capability.
Example: やっと座れるくらいの広さ。 (Just enough space to barely sit.)
📊
Frequency
Very High
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N4
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N4 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N4 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
やっと宿題が終わった。
Furigana: やっとしゅくだいがおわった。
Romaji: Yatto shukudai ga owatta.
English: I finally finished my homework.
Example #2
やっと雨が止んだ。
Furigana: やっとあめがやんだ。
Romaji: Yatto ame ga yanda.
English: The rain has finally stopped.
Example #3
やっと会えたね！
Furigana: やっとあえたね！
Romaji: Yatto aeta ne!
English: We were finally able to meet!
Example #4
10キロ走って、やっとゴールに着いた。
Furigana: じっキロはしって、やっとゴールについた。
Romaji: Jikkiro hashitte, yatto gōru ni tsuita.
English: After running 10 kilometers, I finally reached the finish line.
Example #5
やっと日本語が少し話せるようになった。
Furigana: やっとにほんごがすこしはなせるようになった。
Romaji: Yatto nihongo ga sukoshi hanaseru yō ni natta.
English: I have finally become able to speak a little Japanese.
Example #6
難しい試験にやっと合格した。
Furigana: むずかしいしけんにやっとごうかくした。
Romaji: Muzukashii shiken ni yatto gōkaku shita.
English: I finally passed the difficult exam.
Example #7
長い行列に並んで、やっとラーメンが食べられた。
Furigana: ながいぎょうれつにならんで、やっとラーメンがたべられた。
Romaji: Nagai gyōretsu ni narande, yatto rāmen ga taberareta.
English: After standing in a long line, I was finally able to eat ramen.
Example #8
赤ん坊がやっと寝てくれた。
Furigana: あかちゃんがやっとねてくれた。
Romaji: Akanbō ga yatto nete kureta.
English: The baby finally went to sleep.
Example #9
やっと私の番が来た。
Furigana: やっとわたしのばんがきた。
Romaji: Yatto watashi no ban ga kita.
English: My turn finally came.
Example #10
故障していた時計がやっと直った。
Furigana: こしょうしていたとけいがやっとなおった。
Romaji: Koshō shite ita tokei ga yatto naotta.
English: The broken watch was finally fixed.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Sense of Relief
‘Yatto’ emphasizes the long wait or the difficulty endured before reaching the result.
Example: やっと休みだ！ (Finally, a holiday!)
Effort/Difficulty
It can imply that the result was reached by a thin margin or with great effort.
Example: 100点にやっと届いた。(Barely reached 100 points.)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ やっと家が壊れた。(Using yatto for a negative disaster)
✅ ついに家が壊れた。(The house finally broke.)
‘Yatto’ is usually for positive/desired results. If a result is negative or neutral, ‘tsuini’ is more appropriate.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral/Common. Used across all levels of politeness depending on the sentence ending.
Social Situations: Often used to share good news or express that a struggle has ended.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese used nationwide.

🔍 Subtle Differences

Yatto vs. Yōyaku
‘Yōyaku’ is more formal and literary. ‘Yatto’ is more conversational and emotional.
When to use: Use ‘yatto’ in daily life; use ‘yōyaku’ in formal writing or speeches.
Yatto vs. Tsui ni
‘Yatto’ is almost always for positive/expected outcomes. ‘Tsui ni’ can be used for both positive and negative (e.g., a collapse) outcomes.
When to use: Use ‘yatto’ when you are happy something finally happened.

📝 Conjugation Notes

‘Yatto’ is an adverb and does not conjugate itself. It usually precedes a verb in the past tense (~ta form) to show completion.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Note the small ‘tsu’ (っ), which creates a slight pause before the ‘to’. This pause emphasizes the feeling of ‘finally’.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘Yatto’ as the sigh of relief you give after a long day. ‘Ya-t-to!’ sounds like a release of breath.

Other Grammar

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