Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 是 | shì | /ʂɻ̩⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /sɹ̩²¹³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 對 / 对 | duì | ||
| 啊 | à | /ˀä⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /a⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
colloquial |
| 好 | hó | /ho⁵⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Zhangpu, Kinmen, Lukang, Taipei, Yilan, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Sanxia, Magong, Hsinchu) /hɤ⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Zhangpu, Kinmen, Lukang, Taipei, Yilan, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Sanxia, Magong, Hsinchu) |
Hokkien |
| 是 | sī / sǐ | /si³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kinmen, Taichung, Penang, Sinological IPA, Taipei, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese, Sanxia, Hsinchu) /si²¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kinmen, Taichung, Penang, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese, Sanxia, Hsinchu) |
Hokkien |
The word yes in Chinese can function as a particle to indicate agreement or acceptance.
Which one should you use?
The various forms of yes are used for different purposes. 是 is used to confirm an identity or a state, such as answering a question like 'Is it/are you…?' 对 is used to indicate that a statement is correct or accurate, meaning 'correct' or 'right'. 好 is used to express agreement to a suggestion or to signal that something is acceptable, often meaning 'okay' or 'good'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal way to say 'Yes', you can use 是的. In casual or colloquial settings, the particle 啊 is often added to the end of an answer to make the response sound more natural and less blunt. In Cantonese, the informal ways to say 'Yes' include 係嘅 and 係呀.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, you can use 好 (hó) or 是 (sī / sǐ). In Taiwanese Hokkien, 是 (sí) means 'yes'.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 是 is shì.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use 是 to answer every question. In Chinese, you must repeat the verb used in the question to say 'yes'.
Did you know?
- The character 对 might have been altered by an ancient emperor to include the symbol for 'soldier' because people often gave untruthful replies.
Examples in context
- 是的，當然。Yes, of course.This sentence uses 是 to show agreement.Tatoeba #712982 by egg0073, translation #30530 by Zifre
- 短回答是是。The short answer is yes.Tatoeba #9953376 by GlossaMatik, translation #4530015 by CK
- 请说”好“！Please say ‘yes’!This sentence uses 好 to show agreement.Tatoeba #10266003 by GlossaMatik, translation #408901 by FeuDRenais
- 80 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Xiaowen asks Haoran if he is ready to leave.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你准备好了吗？Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?Are you ready?
- 浩然 Haoran是，我现在就走。Shì, wǒ xiànzài jiù zǒu.Yes, I'm leaving right now.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那我们快点出发吧。Nà wǒmen kuài diǎn chūfā ba.Then let's set off quickly.
- 浩然 Haoran是，没问题。Shì, méi wèntí.Yes, no problem.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yes” translations and entries 是, 啊, 好, 是, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 啊, 好, 對, 是, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
