Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| やあ | yā | [ja̠ː] (narrow) |
| どうも | dōmo | [do̞ːmo̞] (narrow) |
| よう | yō | [jo̞ː] (narrow) |
The primary way to say hi is やあ, which is a casual way of saying hi used among close friends and peers. Another option is どうも, which can function as a very brief, casual greeting similar to "hi" or "hey" when used alone.
Which one should you use?
While やあ is a common casual greeting, the form よう is more masculine and even more casual than やあ. Additionally, どうも can function as a very brief, casual greeting similar to "hi" or "hey" when used alone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
やあ is a friendly, casual greeting typically used between close friends or by someone of higher status to someone of lower status. The form よう is more masculine and even more casual than やあ.
How do you pronounce it?
yā
When do people say it?
When greeting people in different contexts, note that もしもし is specifically used when speaking over the phone. For formal morning greetings, use おはようございます and for formal settings, こんにちは can also be used in formal situations. To say "good evening", use こんばんは. In professional or respectful settings, you might use お疲れさまです to acknowledge someone's hard work or the formal phrase お目にかかるのは久しぶりですね to say "Long time no see.". For very casual and energetic greetings among close pals, you might hear ヤッホー！ or the very casual おっす！
Did you know?
- The masculine greeting おっす！ is a highly contracted version of 押忍, a term rooted in karate and martial arts training that emphasizes endurance and patience.
- The greeting どうも can function as a 'Swiss Army knife' of Japanese social interaction, serving as a casual 'hi', 'thanks', or even 'goodbye' depending on the context.
- In Japanese culture, a greeting like やあ or よう is often accompanied by a slight nod of the head rather than a wave, which can be seen as too energetic for some casual settings.
Examples in context
- やあ！元気？Hi! How are you?This example shows how to use やあ to ask how someone is doing.Tatoeba #193152 by bunbuku, translation #30316 by Zifre
- やあ、みんな！Hi, everybody!This example demonstrates using やあ to greet a group of people.Tatoeba #10625672 by small_snow, translation #466652 by Alkrasnov
- やあ、調子はどう。Hi! What's new?This example illustrates using やあ to ask what is new.Tatoeba #193143 by small_snow, translation #30308 by CM
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren meet at a cafe.
- 美咲 Misakiやあ、蓮！久しぶり。Yaa, Ren! Hisashiburi.Hi, Ren! Long time no see.
- 蓮 Ren美咲か！元気にしてた？Misaki ka! Genki ni shiteta?Oh, it's Misaki! How have you been?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、ずっと元気だよ。Un, zutto genki dayo.Yeah, I've been great.
- 蓮 Renそれはよかった。Sore wa yokatta.That's good to hear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries やあ, どうも, よう, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
