やあ
yā[ja̠ː]
The English phrase hi can be said in Japanese as 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) |
やあ is a friendly greeting typically used when approaching someone you already know in a relaxed setting.
Which one should you use?
While やあ is a friendly greeting, よう is a more casual, masculine-leaning version often used between close male friends. Additionally, どうも can function as a very casual 'hi' or 'thanks' depending on the context and tone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
よう and どうも are informal.
How do you pronounce it?
yā
Did you know?
- The casual greeting どうも is actually a linguistic survivor of a phrase that originally meant 'no matter how'.
- Using やあ can be seen as overly familiar or even slightly condescending if said to someone of higher social status.
Examples in context
- やあ！元気？Hi! How are you?This sentence is useful for seeing how to use やあ to ask how someone is.Tatoeba #193152 by bunbuku, translation #30316 by Zifre
- やあ、みんな！Hi, everybody!This sentence is useful for seeing how to use やあ to greet a group.Tatoeba #10625672 by small_snow, translation #466652 by Alkrasnov
- やあ、調子はどう。Hi! What's new?This sentence is useful for seeing how to use やあ to ask what is new.Tatoeba #193143 by small_snow, translation #30308 by CM
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends meet by chance at a cafe.
- 陽葵 Himariやあ、大翔！久しぶり。Yaa, Hiroto! Hisashiburi.Hi, Hiroto! It's been a while.
- 大翔 Hiroto陽葵！ここで会うとはね。Himeki! Koko de au to wa ne.Himeki! I didn't expect to see you here.
- 陽葵 Himari今からコーヒーを飲むところなの。Ima kara koohii o nomu tokoro nano.I was just about to have some coffee.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいな。僕も一緒にいい？Ii na. Boku mo issho ni ii?Nice. Mind if I join you?
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.
