やっぱり
yappari[ja̠p̚pa̠ɾʲi]
In Japanese, "I knew it" is expressed as やっぱり (yappari).
These expressions are used when something happens exactly as the speaker expected. やっぱり is an informal way to express "I knew it" or "as expected" in Japanese and is widely used among friends and acquaintances to show confirmation or when an anticipated outcome occurs. The form わかってた is used among friends, peers or in informal conversations where politeness is less important. Alternatively, わかっていました is a polite way to express "I knew it" in Japanese and is suitable for more professional or formal situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form わかってた is a shortened and informal version of わかっていた.
How do you pronounce it?
yappari
Did you know?
- While やっぱり means 'as expected', it can also be used to mean 'after all' when you change your mind back to a previous decision, such as 'after all, I will have tea'.
- When used as a reaction to another person's success, やっぱり can function as a compliment, implying that the person's talent made their victory inevitable.
- The word やっぱり is a more emphatic version of the word やはり. The extra 'p' sound adds a colloquial intensity to the realization.
Examples in context
- やっぱり、君といると楽しい。I knew it would be fun with you.This sentence is useful for showing how to use やっぱり to express that being with someone is fun as expected.Tatoeba #13065976 by Gardenia, translation #13993264 by CuteGirlLeia
- やっぱり！I knew it!This sentence is useful for using やっぱり as a standalone exclamation for "I knew it!"Tatoeba #12211387 by Green03, translation #1953109 by ozzie
- やっぱり、雨が降ってきた。yappari, ame ga futte kita.I knew it, it started raining.
Example conversation
Hiyori and Hiroto are talking about a test result.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔くん、テストの結果はどうだった？Hiroto-kun, tesuto no kekka wa dou datta?Hiroto, how were your test results?
- 大翔 Hiroto残念ながら、また不合格だったよ。Zannen nagara, mata fugoukaku datta yo.Unfortunately, I failed again.
- 陽葵 Himariやっぱり！勉強しなかったもんね。Yappari! Benkyou shinakatta mon ne.I knew it! You didn't study, after all.
- 大翔 Hirotoまあね。次は頑張るよ。Maa ne. Tsugi wa ganbaru yo.Well, yeah. I'll try harder next time.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry やっぱり, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries やっぱり, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
