‘Good job’ is one of those phrases of encouragement we all love to hear, especially if it’s in relation to our Japanese skills!
In Japanese, there are multiple ways to say ‘good job’, depending on hierarchy, social context and even the effort someone is putting in.
Even people who don’t speak Japanese may recognise the commonly used ganbatte or otsukaresama! This is largely due to the fact that Japanese culture is very big on showing appreciation and encouragement.
Let’s learn all about how to say good job in Japanese:
Yoku dekimashita
よくできました
You did well
Yoku is an adverb meaning ‘good’ or ‘well’, while dekimashita is the past tense of the verb ‘to do’. Therefore, yoku dekimashita (よくできました) directly translates as ‘you did well’, and is used to express ‘good job’.
This would be the phrase most commonly used in a school setting. If you perform well in your assignments you may receive a yoku dekimashita sticker or stamp from your teacher!
While polite in nature, this phrase can be seen as patronising if said to an adult, due to its association for praising children.
Jouzu
上手
Skillful
Jouzu (上手 / じょうず) means ‘skillful’, ‘proficient’ or ‘good at’ and is used to compliment someone’s ability in a particular skill.
If someone is impressed with skills such as your cooking, or (hopefully) Japanese skills, they might express this by saying jouzu desu ne (上手ですね / じょうずですね)!
This phrase compliments someone’s capability, more than effort.
Ganbatta
頑張った
You worked hard
Ganbatta (頑張った / がんばった) is the past tense of the verb ganbaru which means ‘to persevere’ or ‘to do one’s best’, and is used to mean ‘good job (you worked hard)’.
Whether the outcome was successful or not, ganbatta expresses praise for the effort and determination put in.
Ganbaru/ganbatta is such a commonly used phrase in Japanese culture, due to their emphasis on perseverance.
Otsukaresama
お疲れ様
Thank you for you hard work
We have mentioned otsukaresama in a few previous posts as it is just one of those phrases that is used every day and in various situations. It is hard to find a direct English equivalent, but it is often translated as ‘thank you for your hard work’.
It is mostly used in the workplace at the end of the day when saying goodbye to your colleagues. It is a respectful phrase used to acknowledge each other’s mutual hard work for the day, or in other words ‘good job’!
Joudeki
上出来
Good performance
Unlike jouzu, which praises one’s skills, or ganbatta which praises one’s effort, joudeki (上出来 / じょうでき) commends the successful outcome.
It translates along the lines of ‘top class execution’ or in other words… ‘good job’! It is more matter of fact that then previous phrases and so can be used to describe one’s own performance along with others.
Good job for learning Japanese!
Did you make it to the end of this post? Ganbatta ne! It’s always nice to compliment someone on when they’ve done a good job, and now you have a few phrases up your sleeve.
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Hannah is a half Irish/half Japanese girl living in Ireland. Her love for Japan and the Japanese language led her to studying languages and translation in university where she specialised in Japanese. She spent a year studying abroad at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. In her free time, Hannah enjoys using her sewing machine to upcycle clothes and create new pieces!