やれやれ
yareyare[ja̠ɾe̞ja̠ɾe̞]
The Japanese phrase for "good grief" is やれやれ (yareyare).
やれやれ is used to convey a sense of relief or, more commonly, a weary sigh of exasperation or resignation. It functions as an expression of surprise or shock, but carries a heavy nuance of fatigue.
Meaning: expression of surprise or shock (intj)
Which one should you use?
While it can express surprise, やれやれ carries a much stronger nuance of 'good grief' as an expression of fatigue or being fed up compared to simple surprise.
How do you pronounce it?
yareyare
Did you know?
- In certain contexts, the word やれ (the root of the phrase) can function as a command meaning 'hurry up' or 'do it', creating a sharp contrast between its role in a sigh and its role as an imperative.
- In the world of Japanese pop culture, the phrase became an iconic trademark when the character Jotaro Kujo used the variation やれやれだぜ to show his detached frustration.
- While やれやれ is often a sigh of exhaustion, it can also be used as a smug expression of 'finally' after achieving a long-awaited victory.
Examples in context
- やれやれ、また雨か。Yare yare, mata ame ka.Good grief, is it raining again?
- やれやれ、やっと終わった。Yare yare, yatto owatta.Good grief, it's finally over.
- やれやれ、なんてことだ。Yare yare, nante koto da.Good grief, what a mess.
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren find out their train is delayed.
- 蓮 Ren電車が遅れているよ。densha ga okurete iru yo.The train is delayed.
- 美咲 Misakiやれやれ、ついてないなあ。yareyare, tsuite nai naa.Good grief, I have such bad luck.
- 蓮 Ren次の電車まで待とう。tsugi no densha made matou.Let's wait for the next train.
- 美咲 Misakiそうしましょう。sou shimashou.Let's do that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry やれやれ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
