እሺ
ʾəši
The English phrase "okay" can be translated into Amharic as እሺ (ʾəši).
እሺ is used to express agreement, consent or to signal that you have understood an instruction.
Meaning: OK (intj)
When do people say it?
እሺ is a common response to a request or a command to indicate compliance.
Did you know?
- In some Ethiopian social contexts, agreeing too quickly with እሺ can occasionally be perceived as being overly eager or even slightly disrespectful to an elder's wisdom.
- While እሺ is used for 'okay', the word can be repeated as እሺ እሺ to express mild impatience or to tell someone to stop repeating a request.
- In Ethiopia, saying እሺ while slightly tilting the head forward or nodding is a common way to signal agreement and respect simultaneously.
Examples in context
- እሺ፣ አሁን እሄዳለሁ።ishi, ahun ihedallu.Okay, I will go now.
- እሺ፣ ነገ እንገናኝ።ishi, nege inigenagn.Okay, let's meet tomorrow.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are making plans at a cafe.
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemናቲ፣ ነገ በሰዓት እንገናኝ?Nati, nege beselat ingenagn?Nati, shall we meet on time tomorrow?
- ናቲ Natiእሺ፣ አልረሳም!ishi, alresam!Okay, I won't forget!
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemበጣም ጥሩ።betam tiru.Very good.
- ናቲ Natiእሺ፣ ቤተልሔም ደህና ሁኚ።ishi, Betelhem dehna hugni.Okay, goodbye, Betelhem.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry እሺ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
