やあ
yācasual
To a friend, やあ (yā) is a simple "hi". In the morning, friends just say おはよう (ohayō) without the polite ending. It is also called よっ (yo).
Meaning: casual greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| やあ | yā | casual |
| おはよう | ohayō | morning casual |
| よっ | yo | very casual |
やあ (yā) is friendly and a bit light. よっ (yo) is shorter and used mostly among close friends, more often by men.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
こんにちは (konnichiwa) is correct but sounds more distant, so friends usually skip it. Texting often uses おっす (ossu) among young men or just おはよ (ohayo).
Did you know?
- おはよう (ohayō) is used in many workplaces in the entertainment industry at any time of day for the first meeting, though this is a habit of that field only.
Examples in context
- やあ、元気？Yā, genki?Hi, how are you?
- おはよう、今日早いね。Ohayō, kyō hayai ne.Morning, you are early today.
Example conversation
Ayumi sees her friend Kenta at the station.
- Ayumiやあ、ケンタ。Yā, Kenta.Hi, Kenta.
- Kentaおはよう。今日も暑いね。Ohayō. Kyō mo atsui ne.Morning. It is hot again today.
- Ayumiほんとだね。Honto da ne.It really is.
