やあ
yā[ja̠ː]
The English phrase "hi" can be translated into 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) |
In Japanese, やあ is a friendly, informal greeting typically used by men when greeting friends or acquaintances in a friendly, somewhat lighthearted manner. Other greetings include the casual morning greeting おはよう, the polite version おはようございます and the formal こんにちは.
Which one should you use?
While やあ is a direct greeting like "hi", どうも is a versatile, multi-purpose word that can mean "hi", "thanks" or "hello" depending on the context and tone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The greeting よう is very casual, masculine-coded and is used among close male friends, similar to the English "yo" or "hey".
How do you pronounce it?
yā
Did you know?
- The greeting どうも literally means 'no matter how' or 'in all cases'. It evolved from a way to intensify a feeling into a versatile shorthand for 'hi' or 'thanks'.
- Unlike the English 'hi', which is generally gender-neutral, やあ and よう are heavily masculine-coded and rarely used by women in natural speech.
- The greeting どうも is so flexible that it can be used to say 'hello' when arriving and 'goodbye' when leaving a shop.
Examples in context
- やあ！元気？Hi! How are you?This example shows how to use やあ in a friendly greeting.Tatoeba #193152 by bunbuku, translation #30316 by Zifre
- やあ、みんな！Hi, everybody!This example demonstrates using 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 example illustrates how to use やあ when asking how someone is doing.Tatoeba #193143 by small_snow, translation #30308 by CM
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends meet unexpectedly on the street.
- 大翔 Hirotoやあ、結衣！久しぶりだね。Yaa, Yui! Hisashiburi dane.Hi, Yui! It's been a long time.
- 結衣 Yuiあ、大翔！びっくりしたよ。A, Daito! Bikkuri shita yo.Oh, Daito! You surprised me.
- 大翔 Hirotoここで会うとは思わなかったよ。Koko de au to wa omowanakatta yo.I didn't expect to see you here.
- 結衣 Yui本当だね。ちょうど買い物に来たところなの。Honto dane. Chōdo kaimono ni kita tokoro nano.True. I just came here to do some 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.
