Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| やったー | yattā | |
| やった | yatta | [ja̠t̚ta̠] (narrow) |
| 万歳 | banzai | [bã̠nd͡za̠i] (narrow) [bã̠nd͡ze̞ː] (narrow) |
| イェイ | yei | [je̞ː] (narrow) |
| イェーイ | yēi |
やった！ is an informal expression for yay that conveys pride, accomplishment and excitement. While やったー or やった are used for personal achievements, the loanwords イェイ and イェーイ function as rhythmic exclamations of excitement and are not necessarily a reaction to a specific achievement.
Which one should you use?
やった is used for everyday personal successes, while 万歳 (banzai) is a much more formal or grand expression used for major celebrations or to shout 'long live' something. The loanwords イェイ and イェーイ differ from the others as they are rhythmic exclamations rather than expressions of achievement.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the long vowel marker 'ー' to やった to create やったー emphasizes the excitement, making the phrase sound more like a joyful exclamation.
How do you pronounce it?
yattā
Did you know?
- The word やった is actually the past tense of the verb やる, meaning 'to do'. Literally, when a Japanese speaker shouts 'yay', they are saying 'I did it'.
- The formal expression 万歳 (banzai) is actually a request for 'ten thousand years' of life for a person or an empire, rather than a simple 'yay'.
- In Japanese culture, the phrase 万歳 is often accompanied by a specific gesture of raising both arms straight up in the air.
Examples in context
- 「ただいま」「おかえり」「今日のおやつは何？」「今日はね、お母さん特製のマフィンよ」「やったぁ。手洗ってこよっと」"I'm home." "Welcome home." "What's today’s afternoon snack?" "Today, its mum’s special muffins" "Yay. I'll go wash my hands."The sentence shows how to use やった to express joy upon hearing about a special snack.Tatoeba #10633198 by small_snow, translation #13992630 by CuteGirlLeia
- やったー！テストで満点だった！Yattā! Tesuto de manten datta!Yay! I got a perfect score on the test!
- やったー！やっと夏休みだ！Yattā! Yatto natsuyasumi da!Yay! Summer vacation is finally here!
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are at home after checking a game score.
- 健太 Kenta結衣、見て！新しいゲームがダウンロードできたよ。Yui, mite! Atarashii gēmu ga daunrōdo dekita yo.Yui, look! The new game finished downloading.
- 結衣 Yuiやったー！健太、早く一緒に遊ぼう！Yattā! Kenta, hayaku issho ni asobō!Yay! Kenta, let's play together right away!
- 健太 Kentaそうだね、準備するよ。Sō dane, junbi suru yo.You're right, I'll get ready.
- 結衣 Yui楽しみすぎるよ！Tanoshimi sugiru yo!I'm so excited!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yay” translations and entries やった, 万歳, イェイ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries やった, イェイ, 万歳, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
