よく
yoku[jo̞kɯ̟]
In Japanese, 'well' is translated as よく (yoku).
Depending on the context of your sentence, it can also mean 'often' to indicate frequency. When you want to express that something is going well or has a 'good feeling' in an informal setting, you might use the phrase いい感じ.
Meaning: in good health (adj)
Which one should you use?
Depending on context, よく can mean both 'well' (in a satisfactory manner) and 'often' (frequently).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form よく functions as an adverb in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
yoku
Did you know?
- When praising a child or student, よくできました is often accompanied by a 'flower seal' or stamp on their homework to visually signify they did 'well'.
- The word よく is used in the common phrase よくお願いします, which has no direct English equivalent but is used to ask someone to take 'good' care of a situation or person.
- The word よく (yoku) is a shortened form of the classical adjective よき (yoki). While 'yoki' is now considered very formal or literary, the modern 'yoku' remains the standard for daily adverbs.
Examples in context
- よくやった！Well done!This sentence is useful for praising someone's performance with the adverb よく.Tatoeba #3488188 by arnab, translation #464478 by lukaszpp
- よく眠れた？Did you sleep well?This sentence uses よく to ask about the quality of someone's sleep.Tatoeba #10125458 by small_snow, translation #434494 by lukaszpp
- よく眠れた。I slept well.This sentence uses よく to state that one slept in a satisfactory manner.Tatoeba #12593299 by small_snow, translation #10107306 by ddnktr
- 上手に演奏しましたね！You played skillfully!
- うまく交渉が進みました。The negotiation went well.
- 彼はサッカーがうまいんだよ。He's really good at soccer.
- 今、会議の進みはいい感じだよ。The progress of the meeting is going well right now.
- そのプラン、いい感じじゃん！That plan seems good!
- 194 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta meet after a long time.
- 結衣 Yui健太さん、お元気でしたか？Kenta-san, o-genki deshita ka?Kenta, have you been well?
- 健太 Kentaはい、おかげさまでよくしています。Hai, okagesama de yoku shite imasu.Yes, thanks to you, I am doing well.
- 結衣 Yuiそれはよかったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.That is good to hear.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんも元気そうでよかったです。Yui-san mo genki sou de yokatta desu.I am glad you look well too, Yui.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry よく, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
