Japanese word

ついに

Pronunciation

Romajitsuini

Meaning

  • adverbfinally

Example

試験がついに終わりました。shi ken ga tsu i ni o wa ri ma shi ta

The test is finally over.

Illustration for ついに (finally)

More examples

ついに夏休みが始まりました。tsu i ni natsu yasu mi ga haji ma ri ma shi ta

Summer vacation finally started.

待ち望んでいた知らせがついに届きました。ma chi nozo n de i ta shi ra se ga tsu i ni todo ki ma shi ta

The news we had been waiting for finally arrived.

Core concept

Marks an outcome as being reached only after a long wait, repeated effort, or a series of events.

Common phrases

  • ついに終わるtsu i ni o wa ru

    finally end

  • ついに成功するtsu i ni sei kō su ru

    finally succeed

  • ついに届くtsu i ni todo ku

    finally arrive

Similar words

やっとyatto: It marks an outcome reached after a long wait or a series of events.
ようやくyōyaku: It marks something achieved after considerable time or effort.
とうとうtōtō: It marks an outcome that comes at the end of a long process, sometimes an unwanted one.

Definition in Japanese

長く待ったり物事が進んだりした末に、ある結果が実現することを表す語。naga ku ma tta ri mono goto ga susu n da ri shi ta sue ni a ru kek ka ga jitsu gen su ru ko to o arawa su go

Word origin

The native Japanese adverb ついに (tsuini) is commonly written 終に (tsuini), combining 終 (tsui, "end") with に (ni) to form an adverbial expression.

Usage tips

  • English finally can introduce the last item in a list, but ついに (tsuini) describes an outcome reached after a process rather than simply ordering points.

Opposites

Word lists with this word