よくやったね！
yoku yatta ne!
In Japanese, "you did great!" is translated as よくやったね！ (yoku yatta ne!)
This phrase is used to praise someone for a specific completed action or achievement, such as finishing a difficult task or a performance.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of yoku (well) and yatta (the past tense of yaru, meaning to do or perform).
Which one should you use?
The form よくやった！ without the ne particle sounds more direct and is typically used by someone in a position of authority or a peer to a friend.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While よくやったね！ is a common way to offer praise, you can use お見事ですね as a compliment meaning "splendid" or "excellent job" in formal situations. Among younger generations, the phrase めっちゃ上手だった is often used to mean "You were amazing!" or "You were great!"
How do you pronounce it?
yoku yatta ne!
Did you know?
- While よくやったね is for achievements, Japanese has a distinct phrase お疲れ様 ('you are tired') used to praise someone for the mere act of working hard, regardless of the result.
- In many Japanese contexts, direct praise like yoku yatta is actually less common than subtle praise. Often, people express that someone did a great job by commenting on the 'effort' or 'hard work' rather than the result itself.
- The word yatta! can also stand alone as an exclamation of 'I did it!' or 'Yay!' While it is used to praise others in the phrase yoku yatta, it is equally common for a person to shout it themselves upon their own success.
Examples in context
- プレゼンテーション、お疲れ様でした。Great job on the presentation.
- 本日のプレゼンテーションはお見事ですね。Today's presentation was splendid.
- 昨日の試合、お疲れさん！Great job in yesterday's game!
- 君の演奏、めっちゃ上手だったよ！Your performance was amazing!
- 今日のプレゼン、よくやったね！Kyou no purezen, yoku yatta ne!You did great on today's presentation!
- 一人でここまで、よくやったね！Hitori de koko made, yoku yatta ne!You did great getting this far by yourself!
Example conversation
Hiyori is praising Hiroto for his performance in a presentation.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔、プレゼンお疲れ様！Hiroto, purezen otsukaresama!Hiroto, good job on the presentation!
- 大翔 Hirotoありがとう。すごく緊張したよ。Arigatō. Sugoku kinchō shita yo.Thank you. I was very nervous.
- 陽葵 Himari全然そんな風に見えなかったよ。よくやったね！Zenzen sonna fū ni mienakatta yo. Yoku yatta ne!It didn't seem that way at all. You did great!
- 大翔 Hirotoそう言ってもらえて嬉しいよ。Sō itte moraete ureshii yo.I'm happy to hear you say that.
