漸(ようや)く

ようやく

adverb

at last; finally; barely; with difficulty

1. at last; finally

After a long wait or process, something has happened.

After three years, I finally graduated.

The rain finally stopped.

The work finally finished.

Spring has finally come.

I finally understood.

漸(ようや)く会(あ)えた。

We finally got to meet.

2. barely; with difficulty

Managing to do something but only just, with much effort.

I barely passed the exam.

I barely made it in time.

Life finally became easier.

I finally became able to walk.

漸(ようや)く is an adverb expressing that something happened after a long time or with difficulty.

漸(ようや)く vs. やっと: Very similar. やっと is more colloquial and often emphasizes relief or barely managing. 漸(ようや)く can be slightly more literary.
漸(ようや)く vs. 遂(つい)に: 遂(つい)に emphasizes the culmination of events ("at last, in the end"), often for dramatic or significant events. 漸(ようや)く emphasizes the long process or difficulty.
漸(ようや)く vs. とうとう: とうとう can have either positive or negative connotation for something that finally happened after a long process.

Usually written in hiragana as ようやく; the kanji form 漸(ようや)く is rare in everyday writing.

Neutral; a little more written than やっと, and common in news and narration, but also natural in speech (ようやく終(お)わった！).

Related Words

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Added 2026.1.13 15:25 · Revised 2026.10.3 22:18

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