遂に | Grammar

Structure

遂に + [sentence]

Description

遂に means "finally", "at last": after a long wait, a long effort or a long build-up, the thing happens. It is an adverb, placed at the start of the clause or just before the verb, and the verb is usually in the past. It is mostly written in kana, ついに; the kanji is the formal spelling.

。

My dream finally came true.

いちれい10、。

After ten years of effort, he finally won the championship.

。

The day has finally come.

The result can be good or bad. 遂に only says it is the end point of something that has been coming for a long time.

。

He finally gave up.

。

That old building was finally demolished.

Never happened in the end

With a negative verb, 遂に says that what everyone waited for did not happen, right to the end.

。

He never showed up in the end.

、。

I kept waiting, but he never came.

遂に, とうとう or やっと

means the same and takes good or bad results and a negative verb as well. 遂に sounds more dramatic – headlines, announcements, a climax in a story – and とうとう is the everyday word. is only for a result you wanted, with relief that it has come, so it does not fit a thing breaking down.

きごう！

It's finally over!

× やっと壊れた → 遂に壊れた

Examples

。

The new house was finally completed.

いちれい10、。

After 10 years of effort, he finally won the championship.

。

Spring has finally arrived.

。

She finally found out the truth.

、。

After many attempts, I was finally able to pass.

。

That day has finally come.

、。

I kept waiting, but he never came in the end.

、。

As a result of long negotiations, the contract was finally concluded.

。

The criminal was finally arrested.

。

That old building was finally demolished.

、。

As a result of continued research, a new treatment was finally discovered.

。

In the end, he never admitted his mistake.

References

遂にBunpro