1.
to go well; to turn out well; to succeed
For a plan, effort, or situation to proceed smoothly and produce a good result.
全部上手くいった。
Everything went well.
計画どおりに上手くいくとは限らない。
Things don't always go according to plan.
最初は上手くいかなかったが、何度も練習するうちに少しずつできるようになった。
At first it didn't go well, but as I practiced many times, I gradually got better.
A very common conversational expression composed of 上手く (the adverbial form of 上手い, meaning skillfully or well) and いく (to go). Often written in kana as うまくいく. The negative form 上手くいかない is equally common and means "to not go well."
USAGE:
- Frequently used with subjects like 仕事 (work), 計画 (plans), 人間関係 (relationships)
- The negative 上手くいかない is used just as often as the positive form
- Can be written as うまくいく (all kana) or 上手くいく
- Often used with conditional forms: 上手くいけば (if it goes well), 上手くいったら (if it goes well)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 仕事が上手くいく: work goes well
- 計画が上手くいく: the plan works out
- 上手くいけば: if things go well
- なかなか上手くいかない: things just don't go well
- 思ったとおりに上手くいく: to go as expected
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 順調に進む: to proceed smoothly — more formal; often used for projects and processes
- 成功する: to succeed — focuses on achieving a specific goal
- はかどる: to make progress — specifically about work or tasks advancing efficiently
- うまくやる: to handle well — focuses on the person's skill rather than the outcome