What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of yoku (well), deki (the stem of the verb to be able to or to accomplish) and mashita (a polite past tense auxiliary).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form よくできました is polite and is commonly used by teachers or superiors to praise children or subordinates. In contrast, the informal version よくできた is used when speaking to a child or someone of lower status in a casual setting.
How do you pronounce it?
yoku dekimashita
When do people say it?
In Japanese elementary schools, よくできました is frequently seen on merit stamps or 'gold star' stickers to indicate a job well done. When you want to express appreciation for someone's hard work or effort in a formal way, you should use お疲れ様でした instead. For informal situations, you might use よくやったね to encourage friends or すごいね to express admiration or pleasant surprise.
Did you know?
- Depending on the tone, よくできました can be used sarcastically to mock someone who has made a clumsy mistake, similar to 'well done' in English.
- While よくできました is grammatically polite, its social function is 'downward' praise. Using it 'upward' toward a customer or a boss would be a significant social error.
- In many Japanese media for children, such as anime, a character receiving a 'well done' might actually receive a physical red stamp on their forehead or hand to signify the phrase's sentiment.
Examples in context
- すごいね！おめでとう！Wow, amazing! Congratulations!
- よくやったね！すごく頑張ったよWell done! You worked really hard.
- おめでとうございます！本当に素晴らしい演技でしたCongratulations! It was a truly amazing performance.
- テスト、よくできましたね。Tesuto, yoku dekimashita ne.You did a great job on the test.
- 宿題、よくできました。Shukudai, yoku dekimashita.You did a great job on your homework.
Example conversation
A teacher giving feedback to a student in a classroom.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔君、この作品はよくできました。Hiroto-kun, kono sakuhin wa yoku dekimashita.Hiroto, you did a great job on this work.
- 大翔 Hiroto本当ですか？ありがとうございます。Hontou desu ka? Arigatou gozaimasu.Really? Thank you very much.
- 美咲 Misakiとても丁寧に作られていますね。Totemo teinei ni tsukurarete imasu ne.It is made very carefully, isn't it?
- 大翔 Hiroto頑張って作ったので、嬉しいです。Ganbatte tsukutta node, ureshii desu.I worked hard on it, so I'm happy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry よくできました, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
