Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| オッケー | okkē | ||
| 了解 | ryōkai | [ɾʲo̞ːka̠i] (narrow) | |
| 分かった | wakatta | informal |
In Japanese, "ok" is used to express acknowledgement or acceptance. Depending on the context, you might use 了解 to mean "understood" or use the loanword オッケー to indicate that something is acceptable or that you agree. For endorsement or approval, you can also use オーケー, よし or はい. In computing contexts, the English characters "OK" are used to denote activating an OK button.
Which one should you use?
オッケー is a casual loanword used for general agreement or to say something is acceptable. 分かった is a common way to say "got it" or "I understand" among friends and family. 了解 is used specifically to convey that something has been "understood".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations, use はい to mean "yes" or "alright" or use 承知 to express that something is "acknowledged". In informal settings, オッケー and オーケー are used for casual conversation, while いいよ is a common way to say "it's good" or "alright". 分かった is also an informal way to say "I understand".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the casual loanword オッケー polite, you can add です to the end to form オッケーです.
How do you pronounce it?
okkē
Did you know?
- In very casual settings, people might respond to an 'OK' request with just a simple り (ri). This is a slang abbreviation of 了解 (ryōkai) used primarily by young people in text messaging.
- The word 了解 (ryōkai), often used in digital communication to mean 'OK', originated in military contexts. It carries a tone of 'mission received' which makes it sound very efficient and decisive.
- The word よし (yoshi) is often used as a self-talk 'ok' or 'all right' to psych oneself up before starting a task.
Examples in context
- それでオッケーです。I'm OK with that.This sentence shows how to use the polite form of the loanword オッケー.Tatoeba #4919256 by huizi99, translation #2549308 by CK
- 分かった。ほんの一滴ね。OK, just a drop.This sentence demonstrates the use of 分かった to express understanding.Tatoeba #10572040 by small_snow, translation #5979482 by Ricardo14
- 怒らないでね。分かった？Don't get mad, OK?This sentence shows how 分かった can be used as a question to confirm understanding.Tatoeba #12132227 by small_snow, translation #8385925 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are making plans for lunch.
- 大翔 Hiroto明日のランチ、12時に駅でオッケー？Ashita no ranchi, juuniji ni eki de okkee?Is 12:00 at the station okay for tomorrow's lunch?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、オッケーだよ。Un, okkee dayo.Yeah, that's okay.
- 大翔 Hirotoじゃあ、楽しみにしてるね。Jaa, tanoshimi ni shiteru ne.Then, I'm looking forward to it.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔くんもね！Hiroto-kun mo ne!You too, Hiroto!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ok” translations and entries オッケー, 了解, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
