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 phrase "yes" is expressed through various particles and words that indicate agreement, acceptance or confirmation. You might use a word to confirm a fact, to agree to a suggestion or to indicate that a statement is accurate.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on what you are responding to: 是 is used to confirm a fact or an identity, similar to saying "it is so". 对 is used to indicate that a statement is correct or accurate. 好 is used to express agreement to a suggestion or to say "okay". Finally, the colloquial particle 啊 is often added to the end of an affirmative response to make it sound more natural and softer in casual conversation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The particle 啊 is considered colloquial and is used to soften the tone in casual speech. While 是 can be used in formal contexts to confirm identity, the interjection 嗯 is also commonly used in informal spoken Chinese to express agreement or affirmation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The forms 好 and 是 are used in Hokkien.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 是 is shì.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to use a single word for "yes" in every situation, but in Chinese, the word for "yes" depends on the verb or adjective used in the question being asked.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- 是的，當然。Yes, of course.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’!Tatoeba #10266003 by GlossaMatik, translation #408901 by FeuDRenais
- 80 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei is asking Zihan if she finished her homework.
- 伟 Wei梓涵，你做完功課了嗎？Zǐhán, nǐ zuò wán gōngkè le ma?Zihan, have you finished your homework?
- 梓涵 Zihan是，我剛才寫完了。Shì, wǒ gāngcái xiě wán le.Yes, I just finished writing it.
- 伟 Wei那我們可以出發了吧？Nà wǒmen kěyǐ chūfā le ba?Then we can leave now, right?
- 梓涵 Zihan是，我們走吧。Shì, wǒmen zǒu ba.Yes, let's go.
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.
