Yes in Different Languages
Discover 'Yes' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Yes
Afrikaans ja | ||
Albanian po | ||
Amharic አዎ | ||
Arabic نعم | ||
Armenian այո | ||
Assamese হয় | ||
Aymara jïsa | ||
Azerbaijani bəli | ||
Bambara awɔ | ||
Basque bai | ||
Belarusian так | ||
Bengali হ্যাঁ | ||
Bhojpuri हॅंं | ||
Bosnian da | ||
Bulgarian да | ||
Catalan sí | ||
Cebuano oo | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 是 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 是 | ||
Corsican iè | ||
Croatian da | ||
Czech ano | ||
Danish ja | ||
Dhivehi އާނ | ||
Dogri हां | ||
Dutch ja | ||
English yes | ||
Esperanto jes | ||
Estonian jah | ||
Ewe ɛ̃ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) oo | ||
Finnish joo | ||
French oui | ||
Frisian ja | ||
Galician si | ||
Georgian დიახ | ||
German ja | ||
Greek ναί | ||
Guarani heẽ | ||
Gujarati હા | ||
Haitian Creole wi | ||
Hausa eh | ||
Hawaiian ae | ||
Hebrew כן | ||
Hindi हाँ | ||
Hmong yog lawm | ||
Hungarian igen | ||
Icelandic já | ||
Igbo ee | ||
Ilocano wen | ||
Indonesian iya | ||
Irish sea | ||
Italian sì | ||
Japanese はい | ||
Javanese iya | ||
Kannada ಹೌದು | ||
Kazakh иә | ||
Khmer បាទ / ចាស | ||
Kinyarwanda yego | ||
Konkani हय | ||
Korean 예 | ||
Krio yɛs | ||
Kurdish erê | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) بەڵێ | ||
Kyrgyz ооба | ||
Lao ແມ່ນແລ້ວ | ||
Latin etiam | ||
Latvian jā | ||
Lingala iyo | ||
Lithuanian taip | ||
Luganda yee | ||
Luxembourgish jo | ||
Macedonian да | ||
Maithili हँ | ||
Malagasy eny | ||
Malay iya | ||
Malayalam അതെ | ||
Maltese iva | ||
Maori āe | ||
Marathi होय | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯍꯣꯏ | ||
Mizo awle | ||
Mongolian тиймээ | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဟုတ်တယ် | ||
Nepali हो | ||
Norwegian ja | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) inde | ||
Odia (Oriya) ହଁ | ||
Oromo eeyyee | ||
Pashto هو | ||
Persian آره | ||
Polish tak | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) sim | ||
Punjabi ਹਾਂ | ||
Quechua arí | ||
Romanian da | ||
Russian да | ||
Samoan ioe | ||
Sanskrit आम् | ||
Scots Gaelic tha | ||
Sepedi ee | ||
Serbian да | ||
Sesotho ee | ||
Shona ehe | ||
Sindhi ها | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ඔව් | ||
Slovak áno | ||
Slovenian ja | ||
Somali haa | ||
Spanish si | ||
Sundanese enya | ||
Swahili ndio | ||
Swedish ja | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) oo | ||
Tajik бале | ||
Tamil ஆம் | ||
Tatar әйе | ||
Telugu అవును | ||
Thai ใช่ | ||
Tigrinya እወ | ||
Tsonga ina | ||
Turkish evet | ||
Turkmen hawa | ||
Twi (Akan) aane | ||
Ukrainian так | ||
Urdu جی ہاں | ||
Uyghur ھەئە | ||
Uzbek ha | ||
Vietnamese đúng | ||
Welsh ie | ||
Xhosa ewe | ||
Yiddish יאָ | ||
Yoruba beeni | ||
Zulu yebo |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The Afrikaans word "ja" derives from the Dutch word "ja", which in turn comes from the Proto-Germanic word *aiwa (which can also be seen in the English "aye"). |
| Albanian | In Albanian, "po" can also mean "well," "okay," or "that's right." |
| Amharic | The word "አዎ" can also be used to express agreement or acknowledgment. |
| Arabic | 'نعم' also means 'grace' or 'blessing' in Arabic. |
| Armenian | The word "այո" in Armenian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁eǵʰ-, meaning "to agree" or "to say yes". |
| Azerbaijani | The Azerbaijani word "bəli" is derived from the Persian word "bali", which means "honey". |
| Basque | The Basque term |
| Belarusian | The word "так" ("yes") in Belarusian is related to the word "то" ("that") in Russian, and can also be used to express agreement or consent. |
| Bengali | "হ্যাঁ" is derived from Proto-Indo-European "h₁yes" (to desire), cognate with Latin "aio" (I say) and Greek "eie" (yes). |
| Bosnian | In addition to meaning "yes," "da" can also mean "here" or "there" in Bosnian. |
| Bulgarian | The Bulgarian word "да" shares the same root with the Proto-Indo-European "*dáh₁t-ómi". This likely reflects a common word for |
| Catalan | "Sí" has the same meaning as the Spanish "si" (if). |
| Cebuano | The Cebuano word "oo" is cognate with the Indonesian "iya" and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *iya which also means "yes". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The oracle bone script for 是 resembles one of a hand holding a small stick, which also represents one of the ancient meanings that is to make a plan on bamboo slips. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 是, which also means 'to be,' originated from 甲骨文 where it appeared in its early form as a picture of a ritual utensil. |
| Corsican | The French word "oui" likely derives from the Tuscan "iè" and/or the "sì" in Northern and Central Italy. |
| Croatian | In the Chakavian dialect of Croatian, "da" can also mean "indeed" or "certainly." |
| Czech | The Czech word "Ano" is a derivative of "Anoť", which itself comes from the Old Slavonic "Jino" (other). |
| Danish | In some Danish dialects, the word |
| Dutch | The word "ja" can also indicate an affirmation, agreement, or acknowledgement. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word 'jes' derives from the Latin 'itaque', meaning 'therefore' or 'so' |
| Estonian | While the Estonian "jah" shares the meaning of the English "yes", it notably derives from an archaic form of "jaa" meaning "or". |
| Finnish | The word "joo" comes from the Swedish word "ja" and, like in some other dialects of Swedish, the vowel changes when stressed. |
| French | The word "Oui" is derived from the Latin word "Hoc illae", meaning "this is it". |
| Frisian | Frisian "ja" originates from the Proto-Germanic "ja" which also meant "indeed, truly" and is related to the Latin "quam". |
| Galician | The Galician word “si” not only means “yes”, but also “if” and “so”. |
| Georgian | "დიახ" originated from a Persian phrase "دێ ها" (dē hā) and its original meaning was "this is, this one". Later its meaning gradually changed to "right" and later "yes". |
| German | The German word "Ja" is cognate with the English "yea" and the Latin "ita". |
| Greek | The Greek word "Ναί" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European word "*h₁nḗ" meaning "indeed". |
| Gujarati | The word "હા" in Gujarati also refers to gold, wealth, or an affirmation of something. |
| Haitian Creole | Wi may have originated from the Wolof word 'wuuti', meaning 'it is true'. |
| Hausa | Derived from Arabic "a'hā" ("aha") |
| Hawaiian | The Proto-Polynesian word for yes was *e:, which became ae in Hawaiian. |
| Hebrew | "כן" also means "right", "correct", or "proper" in Hebrew. |
| Hindi | The word "हाँ" in Hindi comes from an Indo-Aryan root, cognate with words meaning "agreement" in other Indo-European languages. |
| Hmong | In Hmong, the word "yog lawm" is an expression of affirmative agreement used as a response to a question or request and may also be an indication of acknowledgment. |
| Hungarian | The word "Igen" is also used as a form of agreement or affirmation, similar to the German word "Jawoll". |
| Icelandic | In Old Norse, "Já" is cognate with Old English "gea" and "yea" and is derived from Proto-Germanic *jai |
| Igbo | In Igbo, the word "ee" can also be used as an exclamation of surprise or astonishment. |
| Indonesian | "Iya" can also be used to show politeness, as in "Apakah kamu ingin makan? ( iya)" which translates to "Would you like to eat? (yes)"." |
| Irish | The Irish word "sea" can mean "yes" when used informally and in isolation. |
| Italian | The term "sì" comes from the Latin "sic" or "ita"," which also mean "yes" and "thus". |
| Japanese | "はい" can mean "yes" in Japanese, but it can also be used as an interjection to express surprise or agreement, or as a particle to indicate the topic of a sentence. |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "iya" is also used as an affirmative in other contexts, such as acknowledging or agreeing. |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word |
| Khmer | The Khmer word បាទ / ចាស can also be used as a polite way to address someone, similar to "sir" or "madam" in English. |
| Korean | "예" (yes) comes from the Middle Korean "ѥ" (yes) or an abbreviation of "어렵지 않다" (not difficult). |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word 'Erê' can also mean 'truly', 'certainly', or 'indeed'. |
| Kyrgyz | The word “Ооба” (“yes”) in Kyrgyz originally came from the Old Turkic word “oba” which meant “hut” or “settlement” or “family” but later took on the additional meaning of “yes”. |
| Latin | The word etiam can also mean 'furthermore' or 'in addition' in Latin. |
| Latvian | Latvian 'Jā' has the same root with 'Jānis' and 'Janis' in other languages which means John. |
| Lithuanian | The word "taip" in Lithuanian derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*tew-p_", meaning "to swell" or "to be strong". |
| Luxembourgish | The Luxembourgish word "jo" comes from the Proto-Indo-European word *ye- "to go" or "to travel." |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word “да“ comes from Old Church Slavonic and means “indeed”. |
| Malagasy | The word "eny" in Malagasy originated from the Proto-Austronesian word "ini", meaning "this" or "here". |
| Malay | The Malay word "iya" not only means "yes," but also serves as an affirmative prefix to verbs and adjectives. |
| Maltese | In Maltese, "iva" originated from Arabic and also refers to the affirmative response given by a woman, "iva jien" meaning "yes, I [am]" |
| Maori | The word "āe" can also mean "true" or "indeed" in Maori, and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *iya. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word “होय” can also mean 'to be' or 'to exist' and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'भवति' with the same meaning. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "тиймээ" is derived from the verb "тий-" (to agree) and the suffix "-мээ" (expressing emphatic affirmation). |
| Nepali | In old Nepali texts, 'हो' was also used as an interjection to express disbelief or surprise. |
| Norwegian | "Ja" is short for the Old Norse word "já", meaning "indeed," "certainly," or "of course."} |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Some alternate meanings of "inde" include "to agree" or "to consent". |
| Persian | "آره" originated from the Old Persian phrase "āha" (yes) and is also used colloquially to mean "sure" or "okay". |
| Polish | The etymology of Polish 'tak' is unclear: some claim it derives from the Proto-Indo-European *k'eh₂, while others trace its origin to the Old Norse 'tækr' signifying "acceptable." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "sim" has the same root as the Latin word "similis," meaning "similar" or "like." |
| Punjabi | The word "ਹਾਂ" derives from the Sanskrit word "अथ" (atha) meaning "now" and "then," indicating an affirmation or agreement. |
| Romanian | The Romanian word "da" evolved from the Proto-Indo-European "*dʰeh₁" and is cognate with the English "day". |
| Russian | In Old Church Slavonic, the word да ("da") could also mean "but" or "yet." |
| Samoan | In Samoan, "ioe" can also mean "to exist" or "to be present". |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "tha" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "is" or "there is", similar to its use in Irish and other Celtic languages. |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "да" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *da, which also means "therefore" or "so." |
| Sesotho | The word "ee" is an exclamation used to express strong agreement or excitement in Sesotho. |
| Shona | In Shona, "Ehe" is a borrowing from the Ndebele language where it means "truly" or "indeed". |
| Sindhi | In Sindhi, "ها" is not only used to express affirmation but also implies strong consent or agreement. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | Sinhalese "ඔව්" can also mean "hey" or "really" depending on its context. |
| Slovak | The word can be used to acknowledge that a question has been heard, and does not necessarily indicate agreement or acceptance. |
| Slovenian | In Slovene, 'ja' can mean both 'yes' and 'I' (as in the English 'I am'). |
| Spanish | The word "si" in Spanish can also mean "if" or "whether". |
| Sundanese | "Enya" is also used to affirm something, as in "Saenya" (that's it). |
| Swahili | The word 'ndio' is also used in Swahili as a response to a call, meaning 'hello' or 'I'm here'. |
| Swedish | The word 'ja' in Swedish is a loanword from Old Norse 'já', itself derived from Proto-Germanic *jaiza, and is related to Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰi̯ḗ |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The Tagalog word "oo" is cognate to the Malay word "iya" and the Indonesian word "ya," all meaning "yes." |
| Tajik | "Бале" is also used to express surprise or astonishment. |
| Tamil | ஆம் (ām) has alternate meanings, including assent or presence. |
| Thai | "ใช่" can also mean "that's right" or "correct". |
| Turkish | The word "Evet" is also an acronym for "Evin Erkeği Vatanın Eseri" meaning "The man of the house is the work of the homeland," a slogan used in Turkish nationalist propaganda during the 1930s. |
| Ukrainian | "Так" can also mean "so," "such" or "that way" |
| Uzbek | The word "ha" in Uzbek can also be used to indicate agreement or surprise, similar to the English "uh-huh" or "oh". |
| Vietnamese | "Đúng" can also mean "straight", "correct", or "true". |
| Welsh | The Welsh word "ie" is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "*jā", meaning "now". |
| Xhosa | The word |
| Yiddish | Yiddish יאָ may also be used to mean a unit of currency and was historically used in the sense of "one." |
| Yoruba | Beeni in Yoruba is often mistaken for meaning "yes", but it also means "to see" or "to encounter". |
| Zulu | The word "yebo" originated from the Nguni-Bantu languages and signifies acceptance or agreement. |
| English | The word 'yes' is derived from the Old English word 'gēse,' which meant 'well then.' |