やあ
yā[ja̠ː]
In Japanese, the phrase for hi is やあ (yā). Wiktionary also lists どうも (dōmo) and よう (yō).
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
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 phrase is used as a friendly, informal greeting. You can also use どうも as a very brief, multipurpose greeting similar to a quick 'hi' or 'hey' when passing someone you know. Another option is よう, which is a casual version of the greeting.
Which one should you use?
While やあ is a friendly greeting, よう is a more casual, masculine-coded version often used between close male friends.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
やあ is an informal greeting often used among close friends. よう is also informal. In contrast, the slang term おっす is a more casual and masculine way of saying 'hi' among friends. For formal time-specific greetings, you might use おはようございます in the morning until around 10 a.m., or こんばんは in the evening from around 5 p.m. onward.
How do you pronounce it?
yā
Did you know?
- The slang greeting おっす is a shortened version of 押忍, a term used in martial arts to signal endurance and patience.
- While どうも is used as a quick 'hi', it is also commonly used as a shorthand for 'thank you' or 'I am sorry'.
- The multipurpose greeting どうも actually contains the word for 'how', literally translating to 'no matter how' or 'in all cases'.
Examples in context
- やあ！元気？Hi! How are you?This example shows the use of やあ to ask how someone is.Tatoeba #193152 by bunbuku, translation #30316 by Zifre
- やあ、みんな！Hi, everybody!This example shows the use of やあ when greeting a group.Tatoeba #10625672 by small_snow, translation #466652 by Alkrasnov
- やあ、調子はどう。Hi! What's new?This example shows the use of やあ to ask what is new.Tatoeba #193143 by small_snow, translation #30308 by CM
- こんにちは、山田さん。お元気ですか？Hello, Mr./Ms. Yamada. How are you?
- おはようございます、鈴木さん。良い一日をお過ごしください。Good morning, Mr./Ms. Suzuki. Have a nice day.
- こんばんは、田中先生。お疲れ様です。Good evening, Professor Tanaka. You must be tired after a long day.
- こんにちは！元気？Hey there! How are you?
- おっす、大介！久しぶり！Hey, Daisuke! Long time no see!
- やあ、みんな！今日は何しよう？Hi, everyone! What shall we do today?
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends meet unexpectedly at a train station.
- 結衣 Yuiやあ、健太！久しぶりだね。Yaa, Kenta! Hisashiburi da ne.Hi, Kenta! It's been a while.
- 健太 Kenta結衣！ここで会うなんてびっくりだ。Yui! Koko de au nante bikkuri da.Yui! I'm surprised to see you here.
- 結衣 Yui本当だね。どこに行くの？Hontou da ne. Doko ni iku no?True. Where are you going?
- 健太 Kenta買い物に行くところだよ。Kaimono ni iku tokoro da yo.I'm just about to go shopping.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries やあ, どうも, よう, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries どうも, よう, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
