“Yes” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
Yes
“Yes” in Chinese is usually translated as 是, shì. But 是 is the verb “to be”, not an all-purpose “yes”. Chinese speakers agree differently: they repeat the verb from the question. “Are you a student?” — “Am.” “Do you have time?” — “Have.” “Can I?” — “Can.”
How to say “yes” in answer to a question
- 是shìyes, that’s soto a question with 是
- 对duìyes, rightliterally “correct”
- 好hǎoyes, OKaccepting a suggestion
- 可以kěyǐyes, you cangiving permission
- 有yǒuyes, I haveto a question with 有
- 行xíngyes, that workscasual
- 嗯ǹgmm-hmamong friends
The rule is simple: answer with the word the question was built on.
- 你是学生吗？ “Are you a student?” — 是.
- 你有时间吗？ “Do you have time?” — 有.
- 明天去，好吗？ “Let’s go tomorrow, OK?” — 好.
- 这儿可以吗？ “Is it OK here?” — 可以.
- 你去吗？ “Are you going?” — 去.
Each word has its own page: 是, 对, 可以, 行.
是, 对 or 好: which one when
是 confirms a fact: “yes, that’s how it is”. agrees with what someone said: “yes, you’re right”. 好 accepts a suggestion or a request: “yes, let’s”. Mixing them up is a common mistake: to “shall we go to the movies?” you answer 好, not 是.
是 and 对 also have fuller forms:
- 是的shìdeyes, exactlypolite and complete
- 对了duìlethat’s right, you got it
- 好的hǎodeOK, sure
是的 is the closest thing to an English “yes”: it confirms almost any question and sounds polite. 对了 is what you say when the other person hits the nail on the head; at the start of a sentence it means “by the way”.
- 嗯，好的。ǹg,hǎodemm-hm, OK
- 哈哈，我猜对了！hāhā,wǒcāiduìlehaha, I guessed right!
嗯 is not really a word but a sound of agreement, like “mm-hm” or “yeah”. You hear it all the time in conversation and see it in every chat.
How to pronounce 是
shì is the fourth tone: the voice drops short and sharp, like a firm “Yes!”. The sh is said with the tip of the tongue curled back, and the vowel after it is not the “ee” of “she” but a buzzing sound, close to “shr”. Saying “she” is the classic beginner’s mistake. Listen to the recording and check it against the pinyin chart.
Saying no works the same way, just with 不 in front of the word: 不是, 不可以, 不行. That is on the page “No” in Chinese, and 好 in all its roles is on “Good” and “OK” in Chinese.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “yes” in Chinese?
“Yes” in Chinese is 是, in pinyin shì.
How do you pronounce 是?
是 is read shì. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “yes” in Chinese characters?
是 is 1 character. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 是 mean?
是 (shì) means “yes”.
Answer in Chinese yourself
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