Yokatta?

[tanuki]

Hello, all!

As I was watching anime, I noticed people often say "Yokatta!" and they translate it as "I'm so glad". The only "yokatta" I know is　良かった, so I found it weird that people say "It was good" to mean "I'm so glad".

So, what happens? Am I hearing wrong or is it just an expression? Or maybe another "yokatta" I don't know?

Thanks a lot in advance for your replies! Bye!

[Takeo Saeki]

You seem to have a lot of questions about these anime situations. Why didn't you just make them on one thread? Then all of your questions could be answered at once and it would take less time and space.

Anyway, I can't help you, because i'm a beginner.

[tanuki]

Well, I don't know... I just think it could get too messy. I mean, if I make three questions in one, then one response would go to number one, the next one to number two, the next two to both, the next one to number three... It would be harder for me to follow.

[Takeo Saeki]

Ah, I see. I can understand that.

[Sachi]

Hmm.... I'm not sure how "It was good." could mean "I'm so glad.". I can understand how it might vaguely mean "I was happy." or "(It was good so) I was happy." something, but that's the past positive. Not sure how the past positive could equal the present positive, or have a different meaning.

I'm guessing, different phrase, or some grammar point I haven't studied yet. :p

[Jay3205]

I'm pretty sure it is the same "yokatta" as in "it was good". I think they use it in the same way English speakers say "thank goodness". If you think about it, thank goodness doesn't really make sense either, but it works. Yokatta may not make exact sense, but it works in Japanese.

[AJBryant]

Have you never said "Great!" when something spiff happened?

Tony

[keatonatron]

"Timmy passed his test"
"Oh good!"

Yokatta is used a lot in Japanese when something.... good happens. I don't know if you've realized it yet, but a LOT of Japanese culture includes simply stating what you see.

For example:
Ostukaresama - "You're tired!"
Oyasumi - "You sleep!"
Ohayou - "It's early!"
Kawaii - "Cute!"
Oishii - "Tasty!"

A lot of conversations have this kind of stuff too... Almost like one person tells a story, and the other person just describes their feelings about what they're hearing.

Anyway, usually when someone explains something good that happened, the other person they will say "Yokatta!" just to point out that it's good news for them, or (if it's better news for the other person) to show they're listening and taking an interest in what's being said.

Like Tony said in another thread, translating requires a lot of cultural knowledge, and therefore 90% of the time a literal translation simply doesn't convey the same feelings.

[TrilinguisT]

same thing with nuretteimasu - is wet .. or aiteimasu - is opened.....

just accept the fact that yokkatta means, "it turned out good then, and now, it is a good thing" -- that's how i choose to understand yokatta.