How to Say "Good" in Navajo - How To Say Guide

yáʼátʼééh

/jɑ́ʔɑ́tʼéːh/

Good in Navajo is yáʼátʼééh, which literally means it is good.

yáʼátʼééh says that something is good, pleasant or well. It is also the standard Navajo greeting, used like hello.

Meaning: pleasant, enjoyable (adj)

What does it mean word for word?

yáʼátʼééh is a verb form, so on its own it is a full statement meaning it is good.

yáʼátʼééh is pronounced /jɑ́ʔɑ́tʼéːh/. The y sounds like English y, and each ʼ marks a glottal stop.

Because yáʼátʼééh is the usual greeting, many people know it as the Navajo word for hello. It is often followed by abiní to say good morning.

The term yáʼátʼééh contains a comparative element, suggesting the idea of being 'better' or 'most good' is built into its structure.
The word yáʼátʼééh contains two glottal stops, marked by the ʼ symbol. These are sounds made by momentarily closing the vocal cords, similar to the catch in the middle of 'uh-oh'.
Because yáʼátʼééh is the standard way to say 'hello', a person is essentially telling the other person that the current state of things is 'good' as a way of greeting them.

Yáʼátʼééh abiní dóó ahéheeʼ.
Good morning and thank you.
Yáʼátʼééh abiní means good morning, and ahéheeʼ means thank you.
Tatoeba #7265252 by azraelgnosis, translation #7265253 by azraelgnosis
Yáʼátʼééh abiní haash yinilyé?
Good morning, what is your name?
Yáʼátʼééh abiní opens the greeting before the question about your name.
Tatoeba #7265247 by azraelgnosis, translation #7265248 by azraelgnosis
Doo yáʼátʼéeh da.
He is bad, evil, not good.
Doo and da around the word make it negative, not good.
Wiktionary
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Amanda and Tyler are greeting each other in the morning.

Sources

Wiktionary, “good” translations and entries yáʼátʼééh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries yáʼátʼééh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.

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