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やや (yaya) Japanese meaning: a little | Kotomora
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きょう
は
やや
寒さむ
い
です
ね
。
It's a little cold today, isn't it?
Please give me a slightly larger size.
After a short while, he began to speak.
Usage patterns やや 〈 形けい 容よう 詞し 〉 somewhat/slightly ~ (modifying an adjective)
This problem is somewhat difficult.
やや 〈 動詞 〉 気味だややきみだ to show a slight tendency toward doing/being something
I've been feeling a bit tired lately.
やや 〜 傾けい 向こう にある to show a slight trend of ~
Sales are showing a slight upward trend.
Expressions ややあって a little while later; after a short time Kanji 漸 steadily, gradually advancing, finally Related words 少し is the everyday, casual word for 'a little', while やや is slightly more formal or written and pairs naturally with adjectives.
ちょっと is very casual and conversational, whereas やや is more neutral and appears often in writing or formal speech.
多少 emphasizes 'to some extent, however small' and is common in formal or written contexts, similar in register to やや.
若干 is more formal and often used with countable nouns or numbers, while やや more naturally modifies adjectives and verbs.
Written forms やや Usage 99%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
稍やや Usage 1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should use kana.
漸やや
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should use kana.
Etymology The origin is uncertain; it may be related to the classical adverb やや (meaning 'a little' or 'gradually'). The kanji forms 稍 and 漸 are rarely used in modern Japanese.
