Meaning & usage
とうとう means at last or in the end after a long wait, process, or repeated expectation, and it often carries relief when the result is welcome or resignation when it is unwelcome. It is an adverb that stands alone before the predicate, so it can appear before verbs like 現れた or 降り出した and before negative predicates like 来なかった, most often with a past or completed form. It suits realized outcomes rather than future plans, so avoid using it for something still uncertain or scheduled.
Example sentences 4
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とうとう私の姉は婚約した。
Finally, my sister got engaged.
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とうとう彼が現れた。
At last he appeared.
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とうとう雨が降り出した。
At last, it began to rain.
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とうとう彼女は来なかった。
After all she did not come.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 2 past exam questions.
