やった (yatta) has a few meanings, but one that you might have heard before is, “I did it!”
In Japan, school starts in April, but before that, most students must pass the entrance exam to enter high school or a university. They study very hard, with some students going to cram school until late at night every day. They will find out if they made it from February to the beginning of March. If they got into the school of their choice, they might say, “やった!”
Example:
智也: やった！お父さん！第一志望の高校に合格したよ！
Tomoya: (Yatta! Otōsan! Daiichi shibō no kōkō ni gōkaku shita yo!)
Tomoya: Dad! I did it! I got into the high school I wanted to go to the most!
お父さん: よかったね！おめでとう！
Otōsan: (Yokatta ne! Omedetō!)
Father: You did it! Congratulations!
Other Meanings of やった (Yatta)
When we use the word やった (yatta) as a standalone phrase, it means “I did it” or “hooray.”
However, やった is the past tense form of the verb やる (yaru),” which means “to do.” Using やった as a past tense verb is also very common in Japanese. やる (yaru) can also mean “to give.” It is used when describing the act of giving something to someone who has the same or lower social status than you.
Let’s see some simple examples of these usages below.
Examples:
1. お母さん: 宿題はやったの？
Okāsan: (Shukudai wa yatta no?)
Mother: Did you do your homework?
健史: もうやったよ。
Takeshi: (Mō yatta yo.)
Takeshi: Yes I did.
2. お母さん: 花瓶が割れてるじゃない！誰がやったの？
Okāsan: (Kabin ga wareteru janai! Dare ga yatta no?)
Mother: The vase is broken! Who did it?
健史: 僕じゃないよ。お兄ちゃんがやったんだよ！
Takeshi: (Boku janai yo. Onīchan ga yattan da yo!)
Takeshi: Not me. My (older) brother did it!
3. 智也: お父さん、友達と遊びに行きたいから５千円くれない？
Tomoya: (Otōsan, tomodachi to asobini ikitai kara gosen en kurenai?)
Tomoya: Dad, I want to go out with my friends, so could you give me 5,000 yen?
お父さん: 先週お小遣いをやったばっかりだろ？
Otōsan: (Senshū okozukai o yatta bakkari daro?)
Father: I just gave you an allowance last week, right?
智也: 先週友達の誕生日プレゼントを買うのに使っちゃったんだよ。お願い！
Tomoya: (Senshū tomodachi no tanjōbi purezento o kau noni tsukacchattan da yo. Onegai!)
Tomoya: I spent all of it on my friend’s birthday present. Please!
1. やった (Yatta) As An Expression: Yay, Hooray, Yes!, I Did It!
やった (yatta) is a Japanese exclamation that means “yay,” “hooray,” or “Yes! I did it!” We can use it to express joy and excitement about a hard-earned victory or accomplishment. This expression includes being proud of what you did or feeling a sense of accomplishment.
This is a very common expression you often hear on Japanese TV, in daily conversations, in anime, etc.
Both men and women can use this expression. It is always written in hiragana.
Examples:
1. やった！ テスト満点だった！
(Yatta! Tesuto manten datta!)
Hooray! I got full marks on my exam!
2. やった！おばあちゃんからお小遣いもらっちゃった！
(Yatta! Obā-chan kara okozukai moracchatta!)
Yay! I got some money from grandma!
3. お父さん: 明日はキャンプに行くぞ！
Otōsan: (Ashita wa kyanpu ni iku zo!)
Father: We’re going camping tomorrow!
健史: やった！
Takeshi: (Yatta!)
Takeshi: Yay!
4. お父さん: 誕生日は何が欲しいんだ？
Otōsan: (Tanjōbi wa nani ga hoshiin da?)
What do you want for your birthday present?
智也: 新しいゲームが欲しいな。
Tomoya: (Atarashī gēmu ga hoshii na.)
Tomoya: I want a new video game.
お父さん: よし！なんでも好きなものを買ってやるぞ。
Okāsan: (Yoshi! Nandemo suki na mono o katte yaru zu!)
Mother: Okay! I will buy you anything you want.
智也: やった！
Tomoya: (Yatta!)
Tomoya: Hooray!
やった (Yatta) Vs. よかった (Yokatta): What is the Difference?
やった (yatta) and よかった (yokatta) are similar in sound and meaning, but the way you use them is different.
やった is used to express joy and excitement about a hard-earned victory or accomplishment when used on its own. It is often translated as “I did it!”
However, よかった is used to respond to good news. よかった has a nuance of feeling relieved that something went well. It is often translated as “I’m glad to hear that.” or “That was good.”
In addition, やった is a very casual expression, so it is used with people close to you, such as your friends and family. On the other hand, よかった can be used in formal and informal conversations.
Examples:
1a. やった！第一志望の大学に合格したぞ！
(Yatta! Daiichi shibō no daigaku ni gōkaku shitazo!)
I did it! I passed my first choice of university!
This sentence contains the nuance of being satisfied with what you have accomplished and being proud of yourself.
1b. よかった！第一志望の大学に合格したよ！
(Yokatta! Daiichi shibō no daigaku ni gōkaku shitayo!)
I’m glad that I passed my first choice of university!
This sentence contains the nuance of being relieved from anxiety.
2. やった (Yatta) As A Past Tense Verb: Did ~
やった (yatta) is the past tense of やる (yaru), which means “to do.” やった is used to talk about something you did in the past.
Examples:
1. 宿題をやった。
(Shukudai o yatta.)
I did my homework.
2. トレーニングをやった。
(Torēningu o yatta.)
I did my training.
3. やった (Yatta): I Gave ~
やる (yaru) can also mean “to give.” やった (yatta) would be in the past tense and therefore mean “gave.”
There are two main ways やる is used to mean “give:”
First Usage: Giving to Animals or Plants
The first is when you give food to an animal or give water to plants.
- 動物に餌をやる (Dōbutsu ni esa o yaru): To feed animals
- 植物に水をやる (Shokubutsu ni mizu o yaru): To water plants
Second Usage: Giving to Someone With Lower Social Status Than You
やる is also used when you give something to someone with a lower social status. Please remember that even if you say やる directly to someone younger than you or with less social status, it can still sound rough. If you want to sound more polite, you can use the word あげる (ageru) instead of using やる。
Examples:
1. 犬に餌をやった。
(Inu ni esa o yatta.)
I fed my dog.
2. 花に水をやった。
(Hana ni mizu o yatta.)
I watered the flowers.
3a. 息子にお小遣いをやった。
(Musuko ni okozukai o yatta.)
I gave an allowance to my son.
This sentence sounds a little rough, so women usually don’t say this. It is better to say it this way:
3b. 息子にお小遣いをあげた*。
(Musuko ni okozukai o ageta.)
I gave an allowance to my son.
*Note: あげた (ageta) is the past tense of あげる (ageru).
You can also attach やる/やった to the te-form of verbs, which means you will “give” the action of the verb.
Using やる with other verbs in the te-form also sounds rough or even arrogant if you say it directly to someone. I recommend you use あげる (ageru) instead of using やる when you want to tell someone that you’ll do something for them.
Examples:
1a. 手伝ってやった。(Rough Version)
(Tetsudatte yatta.)
I helped (him/her).
1b. 手伝ってあげた。(Polite Version)
(Tetsudatte ageta.)
I helped (him/her).
2a. 遊んでやった。(Rough Version)
(Asonde yatta.)
I played with him/her.
2b. 遊んであげた。(Polite Version)
(Asonde ageta.)
I played with him.
If you are talking about an animal (for example, “I played with my dog”), it is okay to say “遊んでやった.” Using やる to non-human things (animals, robots, etc.) is normal. However, it sounds a little masculine.
3a. 買ってやった。
(Katte yatta.)
I bought (something for him/her).
3b. 買ってあげた。
(Katte ageta.)
I bought (something for him/her).
Other Expressions Using やった (Yatta)
Here are some expressions that use やった (yatta) that you may hear if you come to Japan or watch Japanese TV or anime.
1. よくやった (Yoku Yatta): Well Done, Good Job
よく (yoku) is the adverb form of 良い (yoi). It means “good.” よくやった means “well done” or “good job.”
よくやった is used to praise or compliment someone for something they did. It is rude to use this expression to someone with higher social status or people older than you. It is only used by a person of higher status (like your boss) to someone of lower status.
It can be translated as”you did well.” or “good job.”
Examples:
1. 健史: お母さん、テスト満点だったよ！
Takeshi: (Okāsan, tesuto manten datta yo!)
Takeshi: Mom, I got full marks on my exam!
お母さん: よくやったね！
Okāsan: (Yoku yatta ne!)
Mother: You did a good job!
2. You won a tennis match. Your coach says:
よくやった！
(Yoku yatta!)
Good job!
3. 智子: お父さん！人参全部食べられたよ！
Tomoko: (Otōsan! Ninjin zenbu taberareta yo!)
Tomoko: Dad! I ate all my carrots!
お父さん: すごいぞ！よくやった！
Otōsan: (Sugoi zo! Yoku yatta!)
Father: Great! Good job!
2. やったもん勝ち (Yatta Mon Gachi): The First One Who Takes Action Before Anyone Wins
In this sentence, もん (mon) comes from the word “者 (mono),” which means “person.” 勝ち (kachi) means “to win,” “to gain a profit,” or “to be advantageous in the end.”
This expression can be used positively, or it can be used to criticize someone who has done something cunning or deceitful.
Examples:
1. 田中さんは山田さんの手柄を横取りしておいて、『やったもん勝ちだ。』と開き直っていたよ。田中さんは信用ならないね。
(Tanaka san wa Yamada san no tegara o yokodori shiteoite “yatta mon gachi da” to hirakinaotteita yo. Tanaka san wa shinyō naranai ne.)
Mr. Tanaka took credit for Mr. Yamada’s work. He became defiant and said, “The first one who takes action wins.” We shouldn’t trust him.
2. 人生は短いんだから、やりたいことをやらなきゃダメだよ。人生はやったもん勝ちだよ。
(Jinsei wa mijikaindakara yaritaikoto o yaranakya dame da yo. Jinsei wa yatta mon gachi da yo.)
Life is short, so you have to do what you want. The winners in life are those who do what they want.
