jo
/jɔː/
The English phrase "yo" can be translated into German as jo.
jo is used as a greeting similar to hi.
Meaning: greeting similar to hi (intj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In northern Germany, particularly around the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts, the informal greeting Moin is popular.
How do you pronounce it?
/jɔː/
Did you know?
- The German jo is a close relative of the English 'yo' and the Swedish 'jo', all tracing back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'yes' or 'thus'.
- While jo is used in several regions, the greeting Moin is so dominant in Northern Germany that it is often used alone or doubled as Moin Moin regardless of the time of day.
- In some German dialects, jo can be used as a filler word or a way to signal that the speaker is listening, similar to how English speakers use 'uh-huh'.
Examples in context
- Tom spielt mit seinem Jo-Jo.Tom is playing with his yo-yo.Tatoeba #1693027 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1522206 by Spamster
- Wie lange ist es her, dass du mit einem Jo-Jo gespielt hast?How long has it been since you played with a yo-yo?Tatoeba #772233 by samueldora, translation #566132 by darinmex
- Moin! Was machst du heute?Hey! What are you up to today?
- Servus, Leute! Wie war euer Wochenende?Hey, folks! How was your weekend?
- Tach, wie geht's?Hey, how are you?
- Jo, alles klar?Yo, everything good?
Example conversation
Two friends see each other on the street.
- LauraJo, Julian!Yo, Julian!
- JulianHey Laura, wie läuft's?Hey Laura, how's it going?
- LauraAlles bestens, danke.Everything is great, thanks.
- JulianDas freut mich zu hören.I'm glad to hear that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry jo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
