Yeah in Different Languages
Discover 'Yeah' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'yeah' carries more weight than its modest size might suggest, serving as a universal nod of agreement or acknowledgment across English-speaking cultures. Beyond its linguistic simplicity, 'yeah' holds significant cultural importance, encapsulating moments of consent, enthusiasm, and informal affirmation that resonate deeply within social interactions. Understanding 'yeah' in different languages opens up a treasure trove of cultural nuances, providing insights into how affirmation and agreement are expressed around the globe. From the enthusiastic 'sí' in Spanish to the affirmative 'はい' (hai) in Japanese, each translation offers a window into the cultural values and communication styles of different societies. Moreover, the journey through the translations of 'yeah' reveals fascinating historical contexts, showcasing how this seemingly simple word can hold various meanings and connotations.
Below is a guide to the rich world of 'yeah' in different languages, inviting you to explore global affirmations in more depth.
Yeah
Yeah in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ja | ||
| "Ja" also means "yes" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | አዎ | ||
| The Amharic word "አዎ" ("yeah") likely originated from the Ge'ez word "እወ" ("yes"). | |||
| Hausa | yeah | ||
| In Hausa, the word "yeah" can also be interpreted as "I understand". | |||
| Igbo | ee | ||
| The word | |||
| Malagasy | eny | ||
| The word "Eny" in Malagasy can also mean "that" or "it". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | eya | ||
| In the Chewa language, "eya" is also an expression of surprise or agreement. | |||
| Shona | hongu | ||
| Somali | haa | ||
| In Somali, 'haa' not only means 'yes,' but also conveys agreement, understanding, or a response to an affirmative statement. | |||
| Sesotho | ee | ||
| Ee in Sesotho can also mean "yes" or "indeed". | |||
| Swahili | ndio | ||
| The word "ndio" also means "it is so" or "that is it" in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | ewe | ||
| The word 'ewe' in Xhosa also means 'you' when addressing someone respectfully | |||
| Yoruba | bẹẹni | ||
| Yoruba has various terms for "yes," bẹẹni commonly used in positive responses to questions. | |||
| Zulu | yebo | ||
| The word 'yebo' in Zulu, often translated as 'yes', also conveys agreement, acknowledgement, or excitement. | |||
| Bambara | awɔ | ||
| Ewe | ee | ||
| Kinyarwanda | yego | ||
| Lingala | ee | ||
| Luganda | yee | ||
| Sepedi | ee | ||
| Twi (Akan) | aane | ||
Yeah in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بلى | ||
| The Arabic word "بلى" (bala) is derived from the root "بلو" (balw), which means "to attain" or "to reach." It can also mean "certainly," "yes indeed," or "of course." | |||
| Hebrew | כֵּן | ||
| The word "כן" can also refer to a pedestal or platform, or to the affirmative answer "yes". | |||
| Pashto | هو | ||
| The Pashto word "هو" (yeah) can also mean "yes" or "okay". | |||
| Arabic | بلى | ||
| The Arabic word "بلى" (bala) is derived from the root "بلو" (balw), which means "to attain" or "to reach." It can also mean "certainly," "yes indeed," or "of course." | |||
Yeah in Western European Languages
| Albanian | po | ||
| The Albanian word "po" also means "yes" and possibly derives from the Latin "posse," meaning "to be able." | |||
| Basque | bai | ||
| The Basque word "bai" also means "yes," "so be it," and "let it be." | |||
| Catalan | sí | ||
| The word "sí" in Catalan is an affirmative response that shares the same Latin origin as the Spanish "sí" but not its double meaning, referring only to the idea of affirmation. | |||
| Croatian | da | ||
| The word "Da" can also mean "yes" or "indeed" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | ja | ||
| In Danish, the word "ja" can also mean "indeed" or "certainly." | |||
| Dutch | ja | ||
| The Dutch word "ja" is derived from Old Indic "hyah", meaning "hail". | |||
| English | yeah | ||
| The word "yeah" likely originated from the African word "yei" meaning "yes". | |||
| French | ouais | ||
| "Ouais" can also mean "yes, very much" or "certainly" in French, and is often used in informal or colloquial contexts. | |||
| Frisian | ja | ||
| The Frisian word "ja" is derived from the West Germanic word "ja" and can also mean "so" or "indeed." | |||
| Galician | si | ||
| The word 'si' in Galician comes from the Latin 'sic' meaning 'thus' or 'so,' and it is pronounced like 'see,' but with no 'i' sound. | |||
| German | ja | ||
| German “ja” is derived from Middle High German “jä”, which originated as a particle used to affirm, contradict, or indicate consent, and can also be used to express agreement, enthusiasm, or surprise. | |||
| Icelandic | já | ||
| "Já" is also used to indicate emphasis, like "right" in English. | |||
| Irish | sea | ||
| The Irish word "sea" is also used as a preposition meaning "from," and as a conjunction meaning "so that." | |||
| Italian | si | ||
| The Italian word "sì" is derived from the Latin word "sic", meaning "so" or "thus." | |||
| Luxembourgish | jo | ||
| The Luxembourgish word 'jo' can also mean 'very', 'indeed', or 'certainly', depending on context. | |||
| Maltese | iva | ||
| Iva is a loanword from the Arabic word « إيوا » meaning « fine » or « OK ». | |||
| Norwegian | ja | ||
| The Norwegian word "ja" can also mean "yes" in the sense of agreeing to something. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | sim | ||
| The Portuguese word "sim" comes from the Latin word "simul", meaning "at the same time". It is also related to the French word "oui" and the Spanish word "sí". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | seadh | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "seadh" can also mean "well" or "indeed". | |||
| Spanish | si | ||
| The word "Si" in Spanish can also mean "if" or "yes" depending on the context. | |||
| Swedish | ja | ||
| The word "ja" in Swedish can also mean "indeed" or "of course". | |||
| Welsh | ydw | ||
| The Welsh word "ydw" derives from the Old Welsh word "ud" which means "existence" or "being". | |||
Yeah in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | так | ||
| Bosnian | da | ||
| In Bosnian, "da" can originate from the Turkish word "evet" meaning "yes", or from the Proto-Slavic "da" meaning "indeed". | |||
| Bulgarian | да | ||
| The word "да" (yeah) in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *da, which means "to give" or "to grant". | |||
| Czech | to jo | ||
| The Czech word "jo" likely comes from the German "ja" or the French "oui", both meaning "yes". | |||
| Estonian | jah | ||
| Although written the same, Estonian "jah" has no relation to the English "yeah" or German "ja". | |||
| Finnish | joo | ||
| "Joo" is an older form of "juu", which itself is an abbreviation of "jep". "Jop" can also be used to address someone or express surprise. | |||
| Hungarian | igen | ||
| "Igen" also means "again". | |||
| Latvian | jā | ||
| The Latvian word "jā" can also mean "already" or "indeed" | |||
| Lithuanian | taip | ||
| The Lithuanian word "taip" also means "so", "thus", "this way", or "in this manner". | |||
| Macedonian | да | ||
| The word "да" can also be used as an expression of agreement or to show that one is listening. | |||
| Polish | tak | ||
| In ancient Polish, 'tak' also meant 'so much'. | |||
| Romanian | da | ||
| The etymology of "da" is likely from the Proto-Indo-European particle *de, which also gave rise to the English "indeed". | |||
| Russian | да уж | ||
| The exclamation "да уж" ("well, yeah") often has a sarcastic or dismissive tone in Russian. | |||
| Serbian | да | ||
| In Serbian, "да" can also be an archaic word for God, or a term for an oath. | |||
| Slovak | áno | ||
| The word "áno" in Slovak also means "I understand". | |||
| Slovenian | ja | ||
| In Slovenian, "ja" can also be used to indicate agreement or understanding. | |||
| Ukrainian | так | ||
| The Ukrainian "так" originally stemmed from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "so be it" or "may it be that"} | |||
Yeah in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | হ্যাঁ | ||
| The Bangla word "হ্যাঁ" also means "yes" in English. | |||
| Gujarati | હા | ||
| Gujarati "હા" (ha) can also mean "yes", "indeed", or "it is true". | |||
| Hindi | हाँ | ||
| The Hindi word "हाँ" can also be used as an intensifier, similar to the English word "very". | |||
| Kannada | ಹೌದು | ||
| The Kannada word "ಹೌದು" (yeah) is often used as an expression of agreement, but can also mean "true" or "correct". | |||
| Malayalam | അതെ | ||
| Marathi | होय | ||
| In colloquial Marathi, 'होय' can also mean 'yes' or 'indeed'. | |||
| Nepali | हो | ||
| हो derives from the verb "हुनु" (to be) and implies a relaxed "ok" or "I've heard you," while "होइन" (not ok) expresses disagreement or a stronger no. | |||
| Punjabi | ਹਾਂ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඔව් | ||
| The word "ඔව්" in Sinhala can also mean "really" or "indeed". | |||
| Tamil | ஆம் | ||
| The word "ஆம்" also means "yes" in Tamil and is related to the Sanskrit word "अथ" (atha), meaning "now" or "then". | |||
| Telugu | అవును | ||
| "అవును" (avunu) is a Telugu word that can mean "yes", "indeed", "alright", or "very well". | |||
| Urdu | ہاں | ||
| The Urdu word "ہاں" can also mean "now" in some contexts. | |||
Yeah in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 是的 | ||
| 是的 in Chinese can also be used as a short response meaning 'yes' or 'understood'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 是的 | ||
| 是的 can also mean "this is it" or "this is the one" in Chinese (Traditional) | |||
| Japanese | ええ | ||
| The use of the word "ええ" outside of the Kansai region may come across as condescending or rude to some listeners. | |||
| Korean | 네 | ||
| Mongolian | тиймээ | ||
| The verb "тиймээ" (affirm) is also used in Mongolia to indicate "yes". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဟုတ်တယ် | ||
Yeah in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | ya | ||
| "Ya" can also be an imperative verb that means 'come here!' in Indonesian, or a noun that means 'father' in Javanese. | |||
| Javanese | iyo | ||
| The word "iyo" can also mean "yes" or "okay" in Indonesian and Javanese, and is sometimes used to express agreement or understanding. | |||
| Khmer | យាយ | ||
| Lao | ແລ້ວ | ||
| "แล้วยัง" means "and also" in the Lao language. | |||
| Malay | yeah | ||
| In the Malay language, | |||
| Thai | ใช่ | ||
| The Thai word "ใช่" can also mean "yes" or "correct". | |||
| Vietnamese | vâng | ||
| While it may sound like an agreement, | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | oo | ||
Yeah in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | bəli | ||
| The Azerbaijani word "Bəli" is used both as a general way of saying "yes" and as a way of responding to a call. | |||
| Kazakh | иә | ||
| The Kazakh word “Иә” can also mean “indeed” or “that’s right”. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ооба | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "ооба" can also mean "very" or "very good". | |||
| Tajik | ҳа | ||
| The word "ҳа" can also mean "yes" or "understand" in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | hawa | ||
| Uzbek | ha | ||
| The word "ha" in Uzbek also means "ah" or "oh" and is used to express surprise, realization, or understanding. | |||
| Uyghur | ھەئە | ||
Yeah in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ʻae | ||
| 'Ae' is also a Hawaiian term that can mean 'yes', 'indeed', or 'true' depending on its usage. | |||
| Maori | ae | ||
| In the Maori language, the word | |||
| Samoan | ioe | ||
| The Samoan word "ioe" can also mean "I know" or "understand". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | oo naman | ||
| The term "oo naman" is derived from the Tagalog phrase "oo naman po," which literally means "yes, sir" or "yes, ma'am. | |||
Yeah in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jïsa | ||
| Guarani | héẽ | ||
Yeah in International Languages
| Esperanto | jes | ||
| "Jes" also means "precisely" and is the root of the word "jesi" (precisely). | |||
| Latin | yeah | ||
| The word ''yeah'' is derived from a 19th-century African-American colloquialism with unknown origins. | |||
Yeah in Others Languages
| Greek | ναι | ||
| The word "ναι" in Greek can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European language, where it had the meaning of "indeed" or "truly." | |||
| Hmong | muaj tseeb tiag | ||
| Kurdish | erê | ||
| The Kurdish word "erê" derives from the Persian verb "arāstan," meaning "to adorn" or "to decorate," and originally expressed assent or approval, suggesting that something was "adorned" or "decorated" with a positive attribute. | |||
| Turkish | evet | ||
| Evet, in Turkish, is also a word for 'yes', and derives from a Persian word meaning 'true'. | |||
| Xhosa | ewe | ||
| The word 'ewe' in Xhosa also means 'you' when addressing someone respectfully | |||
| Yiddish | יאָ | ||
| The Yiddish "יאָ" ("yeah") derives from Old High German "jā" ("yes"), and also means "well" or "so". | |||
| Zulu | yebo | ||
| The word 'yebo' in Zulu, often translated as 'yes', also conveys agreement, acknowledgement, or excitement. | |||
| Assamese | হয় | ||
| Aymara | jïsa | ||
| Bhojpuri | हॅंं | ||
| Dhivehi | އާނ | ||
| Dogri | हां | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | oo | ||
| Guarani | héẽ | ||
| Ilocano | wen | ||
| Krio | yɛs | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | بەڵێ | ||
| Maithili | हं | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯣꯏ | ||
| Mizo | awle | ||
| Oromo | eeyyee | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ହଁ | ||
| Quechua | arí | ||
| Sanskrit | आम् | ||
| Tatar | әйе | ||
| Tigrinya | እወ | ||
| Tsonga | ina | ||