やっと

や

っ

と

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

onomatopoeic or mimetic wordusually written using kana alone

Expresses relief or satisfaction that something long-awaited or difficult has finally happened.

onomatopoeic or mimetic wordusually written using kana alone

Indicates that something was achieved with great difficulty or by a very small margin; often used with verbs like 間に合う or 合格する.

〈事こと〉がやっと終おわるsomething finally ends (after a long or difficult process)
長ながい工こう事じがやっと終おわった。
The long construction work finally finished.
やっと〈動どう詞し〉ことができたfinally managed to do something after difficulty
何なん度ども失しっ敗ぱいしたが、やっと合ごう格かくすることができた。
I failed many times, but I finally managed to pass.
やっと〈場ば所しょ〉に着つくto finally arrive at a place after a long or hard journey
五ご時じ間かん歩あるいて、やっと山やまの頂ちょう上じょうに着ついた。
After walking for five hours, we finally reached the mountain's summit.
やっと〈事こと〉に間まに合あうto barely make it in time for something
走はしったので、やっと電でん車しゃに間まに合あった。
I ran, so I just barely made it to the train.

ようやくN3sense 1
ようやく is more formal and typical of written or polite speech, while やっと is casual and carries a stronger sense of relief.
ついにN3sense 1
ついに stresses the final outcome after a long process without the feeling of relief that やっと conveys.
等とう々とう sense 1
とうとう is neutral and often used for outcomes seen as inevitable (even negative ones), whereas やっと implies satisfaction that something difficult finally happened.
辛かろうじてN1sense 2
かろうじて is a more formal way to say something was achieved barely or by a narrow margin, similar to やっと in its second sense.

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とうとうN4
やっと stresses relief after effort or waiting, while 到頭 can also convey inevitability, sometimes with a negative nuance.
どうにかN2
やっと emphasizes the relief of finally achieving something after time or effort, while どうにか focuses on the difficulty overcome or the narrowness of the success.

やっとUsage99%
Usually written in kana. The kanji form 漸と is rare and not recommended for learners.
ヤットUsage1%
漸やっとUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.

The origin is uncertain; it is considered a mimetic adverb expressing the feeling of finally achieving something after effort or waiting.