այո
ayo/ɑˈjo/polite
The English word 'yes' is translated into Armenian as այո (ayo). Wiktionary also lists հա (ha).
Meaning: word used to indicate agreement or acceptance (particle)
Ways to say it
| Armenian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| այո | ayo | /ɑˈjo/ (Eastern Armenian) /ɑˈjo/ (Western Armenian) |
polite |
| հա | ha | /hɑ/ (Eastern Armenian) /hɑ/ (Western Armenian) |
informal |
The word is a particle used to indicate agreement or acceptance.
Which one should you use?
The form այո is the polite option, while հա is a colloquial way to say yes used primarily with friends, family or people of equal status.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
այո is a polite form. In contrast, հա is informal and should be used in casual conversation or when you want to sound more relaxed and less stiff.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ayo. The pronunciation is /ɑˈjo/. The /ɑ/ sound is like the [a] in l[a]va and the /j/ sound is like the [y] in [y]es.
Did you know?
- When answering a negative question, such as 'You aren't coming?', using այո can be confusing because it might be interpreted as 'Yes, I am coming' or 'Yes, you are correct that I am not coming'.
- In very traditional or religious contexts, agreement is sometimes expressed through a phrase involving God rather than a simple այո.
- The informal հա is actually quite ancient and shares a linguistic lineage with various affirmative sounds used across many Indo-European languages.
Examples in context
- Հա, նա տանն է։Yes, he's at home.This example shows the use of the informal form հա.Tatoeba #13387810 by Proxima5, translation #3143715 by sundown
- Բայց այո, ի դեպ՛։But yes, by the way!This example shows the use of the polite form այո.Tatoeba #12255747 by JameezTranslates, translation #12255638 by Miktsoanit
- Հա, ես էլ եմ քուրդ։Yes, I'm also Kurdish.Tatoeba #13611462 by Proxima5, translation #10780754 by ajje
- Այո, ես ուրախ եմ։Yes, I am happy.
- 45 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tigran and Ani are discussing a business meeting.
- Տիգրան TigranԱնի, դուք պատրա՞ս եք հանդիպմանը:Ani, duk patras ek handipmanə?Ani, are you ready for the meeting?
- Անի AniԱյո, Տիգրան, ամեն ինչ պատրաստ է:Ayo, Tigran, amen inch patrast e:Yes, Tigran, everything is ready.
- Տիգրան TigranԱրդյո՞ք մենք կարող ենք սկսել հիմա:Ardyok menk karogh enk sksel hima?Can we start now?
- Անի AniԱյո, խնդրեմ, սկսեք:Ayo, khndrem, sksek:Yes, please, begin.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yes” translations and entries այո, հա, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries այո, հա, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
