ヤッホー
yahhō
The Japanese phrase for hi to friends is ヤッホー (yahhō).
This greeting is used to get the attention of friends or to say a cheerful hello when arriving at a social gathering.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ヤッホー is a very casual, high-energy greeting. While it is understood by everyone, it is typically used by women or children. For a different type of informal greeting, you might use おはよう, which is the truncated, informal form of ohayou gozaimasu used to greet friends specifically in the morning.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Osaka region, the phrase もうかりまっか? (moukarimakka?) is used as a friendly way to greet friends, meaning 'are you making money?'
How do you pronounce it?
yahhō
Did you know?
- The phrase ヤッホー originally comes from the sounds people shout when calling out to others from a mountain peak or across a valley.
- While ヤッホー is common among women, adult men rarely use it and instead opt for おーい (ōi) to get a friend's attention.
- The word is written in katakana, a script usually for foreign words, because it represents an onomatopoeic sound rather than a word with a kanji root.
Examples in context
- ヤッホー！元気？Yahhō! Genki?Hi! How are you?
- ヤッホー、久しぶり！Yahhō, hisashiburi!Hi, long time no see!
- ヤッホー、みんな！Yahhō, minna!Hi, everyone!
Example conversation
Ren and Himari meet at a park.
- 蓮 Renヤッホー、陽葵！Yahhō, Himari!Hi, Himari!
- 陽葵 Himariあ、蓮！ヤッホー！A, Ren! Yahhō!Oh, Ren! Hi!
- 蓮 Ren今日はいい天気だね。Kyō wa ii tenki dane.The weather is nice today, isn't it?
- 陽葵 Himari本当に、気持ちいいね。Hontō ni, kimochi ii ne.It really is, it feels great.
