やあ
yāhiragana, casual
In writing, a casual "hi" is やあ (yā) in hiragana. A written ハイ (hai) in katakana is from English "hi" and can be mistaken for はい (hai), "yes". It is also called おっす (ossu).
Meaning: casual greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| やあ | yā | hiragana, casual |
| ハイ | hai | katakana, loanword |
| おっす | ossu | hiragana, very casual |
In text messages, やっほー (yahhō) is common, with a long vowel mark ー. The mark ー lengthens the vowel in katakana and in informal hiragana.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The Japanese はい (hai) means "yes", so it is not a greeting.
Did you know?
- Japanese has three scripts and a single message can mix hiragana, katakana and kanji.
Examples in context
- やあ、元気？Yā, genki?Hi, how are you?
- やっほー、今どこ？Yahhō, ima doko?Hi, where are you now?
Example conversation
Mei and Sora exchange text messages.
- Meiやっほー！Yahhō!Hi!
- Soraやあ、どうしたの？Yā, dō shita no?Hi, what is up?
- Mei今日会える？Kyō aeru?Can we meet today?
