Translation guide
How to express the idea of managing with limited resources, passing through, or being acceptable in Japanese.
Can I get by? (physically)
Polite way to ask to pass.
To cope or survive with what one has, often financially.
A very common way to say 'get by' meaning to manage or make ends meet. Implies effort but success in coping.
I can get by on my current salary.
Literally 'manage to live', used for getting by in daily life, often with financial nuance.
Means to manage or make do, often by budgeting or being resourceful. Focuses on the act of managing.
I'm getting by on a small income.
Literally 'connect eating', meaning to barely get by, especially in terms of food or survival. Stronger nuance of hardship.
To physically move past something or someone, often with difficulty.
To be just good enough to be accepted or not noticed as bad.
Means 'to be somehow forgiven/accepted'. Used when something is borderline but passes.
To escape notice or pass without being caught.
To be overlooked or not noticed. Passive form of '見逃す' (to overlook).
Both mean 'somehow' and are often interchangeable. なんとか is slightly more common in spoken Japanese, while どうにか can sound a bit more formal or literary. In 'get by' phrases, なんとかやっていく is the most natural everyday expression.
get by (casual/common)
I can get by on just my pension.
They got by on very little food.
To pass through a narrow space or crowd. Common for physical 'get by'.
Excuse me, can I get by?
There are too many people; I can't get by.
To slip through or squeeze past, often implying a tight fit or sneaking by.
He got by the guard.
To pass by the side of something. More literal and less common for 'get by'.
Please get by the car.
This quality will probably get by.
To be accepted or valid; often used for language skills, excuses, or standards.
Even my broken Japanese got by.
Literally 'so-so', used to say something is passable. Casual.
His English gets by, I guess.
The small mistake got by unnoticed.
To get away without being found out. 'ばれる' means to be exposed.
The lie got by without being discovered.
Also used metaphorically to slip through a system or check.
To get by the censors.
どうにか暮らしていく
get by (slightly formal)
Do not translate 'get by' literally as 得る (eru) + によって (ni yotte). This makes no sense in Japanese. Always use the phrases provided.