Yes in Japanese: はい (Hai), ええ and うん

Yes in Japanese: はい (hai)

Yes in Japanese is はい (hai). It's polite and works with almost anyone. With friends and family, the casual yes is うん (un).

はい is written with two hiragana: は and い. Here は is read ha, its usual sound. It's only read wa as a particle, as at the end of こんにちは.

はい does more than say yes. The dictionary gives it these meanings too:

• "Understood; OK", when someone asks you to do something.
• "Present; here", when a teacher calls your name.
• "Here you go", as you hand something over.
• "Pardon?", said with a rising tone (はい?), when you didn't catch what was said.

Hai, ee, un: polite to casual yes

Japanese has three everyday words for yes, from polite to casual:

うん (う, ん) is the casual yes. The Japanese dictionary デジタル大辞泉 says it's used with people you're close to, and that it's less polite than はい and ええ. Said to a teacher or your boss, うん can sound too familiar.

ええ (え twice) is a softer, conversational yes. It's more relaxed than はい, but not as casual as うん. Sources don't agree on exactly how polite it is, so when in doubt, say はい. The same sound can also be a hesitating "um" or a surprised "huh?", depending on how it's said.

Many speakers keep ええ for agreeing in conversation. To accept an instruction, or to answer when your name is called, say はい.

Sō desu: agreeing with “that's right”

Japanese often says yes by agreeing with what was said. The key word is そう, written そ and う:

• そう (sō) on its own means "that's the case". It's casual.
• そうです (sō desu, “that is so”) is the polite form: "that is right".
• そうですね (sō desu ne, “that's so, isn't it”) agrees warmly. The ね (ne, “right?”) at the end invites the other person to agree. It's also one of the most common ways to show you're listening.
• そうそう (sō sō) is an eager "that's right!", often heard in casual talk.

Said slowly before an answer, そうですね… often just means "let me see". It can come before a polite no, so it isn't always agreement.

At the end of a full sentence, そうです has a different job: it means "I hear that". As a reply on its own, it means "that's right".

When はい doesn't mean yes

While you talk, Japanese listeners keep saying short words to show they're following. These are called 相槌 (あいづち, aizuchi). The common ones are はい, ええ, うん, そうですね and a nod of the head.

They show that the listener understands, not that they agree. Wikipedia notes that this can trip up business people: a visitor hears はい after every point and assumes their Japanese partners agree, when はい only meant "I follow you". The word itself comes from smithing: the assistant who strikes the metal in turn with the master smith.

A doubled はいはい (hai hai) is different. The dictionary marks it as colloquial and glosses it "yeah, yeah; whatever", so it can sound dismissive. Say はい once.

Yes and no to negative questions

When a question checks a fact, はい agrees with the question, not with the facts. Asked 行かないのですか? (ikanai no desu ka?, "Aren't you going?"), the answer はい means "Right, I'm not going". In English, "yes" would mean the opposite.

It's different when a negative question is really an invitation, like "Won't you come?". Then yes usually means yes, as in English.

The polite no is いいえ (iie, “no”). Said after someone thanks you, いいえ means "not at all". In casual talk, many people say いや (iya) or ううん (ūn, “nuh-uh”) instead. ううん can sound a lot like うん. One is yes and the other is no, so listen closely.

To avoid any mix-up, answer with the verb itself (here, 行きません, "I'm not going") rather than a bare はい or いいえ.

OK and understood: wakarimashita, ryōkai, mochiron

Sometimes yes means "OK, I'll do it" or "of course":

If you learn one, make it わかりました. It's polite enough for a teacher or a colleague. You'll often hear it as はい, わかりました. With a boss or a client, many people say 承知しました instead. Some people find 了解です too casual for a boss, so keep 了解 for friends and colleagues.

Questions about yes in Japanese

How do you say yes in Japanese?

Yes in Japanese is はい (hai), the polite yes. With friends and family, say うん (un).

Does ee mean yes in Japanese?

Yes: ええ (ee) is a softer, conversational yes. When you're unsure, say はい.

Does un mean yes in Japanese?

Yes, casually. うん is for friends and family, and it's less polite than はい and ええ.

Does hi mean yes in Japanese?

No: hai (はい), which sounds like the English "hi", means yes, not hello. To say hello, use こんにちは (konnichiwa).

What does sō desu mean?

そうです (sō desu) means "that's right". It's a polite way to agree with what someone said.

Why do Japanese people say sō desu ne?

To agree, to show they're listening, or to buy a moment to think. It's one of the most common aizuchi, the small words listeners say while you talk.

Does hai always mean yes?

No: はい (hai) often means "I'm listening" or "understood" rather than agreement. It can also mean "present" at a roll call, or "here you go".

Is there a kanji for yes?

No: はい has no kanji. The dictionary lists it in kana only, so it's written in hiragana, は and い.

How do you say yes sir in Japanese?

The closest to "yes, sir" is かしこまりました (kashikomarimashita) or 承知しました, both a respectful "certainly, understood". You'll hear them at work and from shop staff.

Sources

• Readings, meanings and tags: JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), including はい's other senses (its "pardon?" marked colloquial), はい listed in kana only, いいえ as "not at all", 承知 as "acceptance; consent", そうです's hearsay sense, はいはい marked colloquial, かしこまりました marked polite and usually written in kana, and ううん as "nuh-uh; no".
• Aizuchi, and はい meaning "I follow you" in business: Wikipedia, Aizuchi; Japanese Wikipedia, 相槌 (understanding, not agreement; the smithing origin).
• はい and いいえ with fact-checking negative questions: Wikipedia, Yes and no.
• うん as less polite than はい and ええ: デジタル大辞泉, via Weblio.
• はい's pronunciation, [ha̠i]: Wiktionary, はい.
• How polite ええ is, telling うん from ううん by ear, そうですね as "let me see", answers to negative invitations, and the uses of 了解, 承知しました, かしこまりました and わかりました are waiting for a native speaker's check.