How Do You Say Yes In Mandarin
Yes/no questions are an essential component of any language, and Mandarin is no different. They’re some of the most common questions you’ll ever get when you start practicing your Mandarin conversation—and ideally the easiest to answer (as long as you know all the ways to say “yes,” that is!)In this article, we cover the most common ways to say yes in Mandarin.Yes, there’s more than one way to say yes, depending on the situation, context and even who’s asking the question—not to mention what’s the question! So you’ll want to learn all the ways to say “yes” so you always sound natural and even impress native speakers! Let’s get started.
是 / shì
Probably the first word for “yes” that Mandarin students learn is 是 (shì), which can lead to some confusion. The confusion lies in that shì doesn’t literally mean “yes,” but rather, it means “it is.” Yes, it’s the same shì as “to be,” as in 我是学生 / Wǒ shì xuéshēng / I’m a student. When used on its own, it’s an affirmative statement to any yes/no question, as in:你是老師嗎? Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma? Are you a teacher? 是 Shì Yes. (Literally “it is.”) Keep shì handy for whenever you want to give a quick confirm.
是的 / shì de
Just like shì, 是的 (shì de) is another one to use whenever you want to confirm a fact. You can also use shì de as a sentence interjection to let the speaker know that you’re listening (in this case it works more like uh-huh). Here’s an example of how to use it:我聽說台灣人很喜歡拿紅包，是這樣嗎? Wǒ tīng shuō táiwān rén hěn xǐhuān ná hóngbāo, shì zhèyàng ma? I heard that Taiwanese people like to receive red envelopes, is that right? 是的 Shì de Yes, it is (right.)
对 / duì
对 (duì) is another way to say yes. But it can also serve as a “no” answer, so watch out for this one. In the same way that you could answer yes to a negative in English, you could use duì to mean yes or no, depending on the question. Confused? It’s simple—with duì you’re essentially just affirming whatever is being said. For example: 你是学生吗？ Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma? Are you a college student 对 duì Yup. (Note that you can also say shì or shì de here.) And you can also affirm a negative, as in: 你不是学生吗？ Nǐ bùshì xuéshēng ma? You’re not a college student? 对 duì Yup.
行 / xíng
行 (xíng) is a word whose etymological origins are associated with movement, walking, traveling or going, and it pretty much can stand in for the English “ok” as when you’re confirming you can do something. When you use xíng, just like “ok,” you’re essentially moving toward some action. There can also be a level of excitement to it, as when someone asks you out on a date and you say xíng! Use xíng when you’re pleased about saying yes to something. You can also use xíng for giving permission for something, like: 我可以借你的Tesla吗？ wǒ kěyǐ jiè nǐ de chē ma？ Can I borrow your Tesla? 行。 xíng Ok.
好吧 / hǎo bɑ
好吧 (hǎo bɑ), on the other hand, is a way to say yes when you’re not so thrilled about what you’re saying yes to. So make sure not to say this when someone invites you out on a date! It’s the “yes” your teenager begrudgingly says when you tell them to be home by midnight, or when your spouse tells you to take out the trash. You’ll do it, but you won’t necessarily enjoy it. Its close English equivalent is “ok, fine” but accompanied with a less than thrilled expression. For example: 我們今天吃壽司吧! Let’s eat sushi today! Wǒmen jīntiān chī shòusī ba! 我想吃牛排。 Wǒ xiǎng chī niúpái. I want to have steak. 可是我們天天吃牛排，今天吃點不一樣的。 Kěshì wǒmen tiāntiān chī niúpái, jīntiān chī diǎn bù yīyàng de. But we eat steak every day, and today we have something different. 好吧! Hǎo ba! Ok then, fine.
好啊 / hǎo a
Unlike hǎo bɑ, 好啊 (hǎo a) is an enthusiastic way to say yes. It’s an empathetic yes, almost like the English “yeah!” or “sure!” For example: 我們今天吃寿司吧! Wǒmen jīntiān chī shòusī ba! Let’s eat sushi today! You really like sushi, in this case, so you say: 好啊 hǎo a Yes!
好的 / hǎo de
Use 好的 (hǎo de) when you want to say yes without hesitating. It’s a good one to use when someone asks something of you that you’re sure you can do. You can also use hǎo de to express your understanding or rationale behind something. It’s like saying “sure,” “ok,” and “got it,” so it’s a versatile one you’ll want to keep in your response arsenal. 我们晚上8点在寿司餐厅见面吗？ Wǒmen wǎnshàng 8 diǎn zài shòusī cāntīng jiànmiàn ma? We’ll meet at the sushi restaurant at 8pm? 好的 hǎo de Ok
好了/ hǎo lе
If you’re invited to go eat sushi, you wouldn’t say 好了(hǎo lе), unless your friend has been asking you the same question and you’ve been ignoring them for some time, in which case you could. That’s because hǎo lе means yes but more like “yes, okay, I heard you.” When your significant other keeps nagging you to clean up your dirty gym socks, you can also say: 好了好了好了 hǎo lе… hǎo lе… hǎo lе ok..ok..ok… I heard you. But you can also use hǎo lе in a professional setting to affirm that you’re ready to perform at your A game, like when your boss asks you if you’re ready to lead that meeting on the company’s quarterly financials. In this case, you can say hǎo lе to mean: “Yes, I’m ready.”
有 / yǒu
有 (yǒu) literally means “to have,” so you use it as a yes response when the question is about having something. As in: 你有Tesla嗎? Nǐ yǒu Tesla ma? Do you have a Tesla? 有。 Yǒu. I do. If it sounds strange that you would respond to that question with a literal “I have,” think about whether you would really answer that question in English with a flat out “yes.” You probably would say something more along the lines of “yes, I have one,” or “yes, I do” and then go on and on about all the cool Tesla features because…why wouldn’t you—you have a Tesla! But anyway, the point is that in Mandarin, if the question has the verb 有yǒu in it, then you use 有 yǒu as the “yes” or affirmative to that question. By the way, 沒有 méi yǒu would be the negative answer.
可以 / kě yǐ
Use 可以 / kě yǐ when you want to say that “yes, something is possible” or that you are willing to do something for someone. It literally means to be able to and a close cousin to xíng, so it has a very similar use. In more colloquial English, it’s a lot like saying “you, can do!” or “no problemo!” 你可以帮我吗？可以。 nǐ kě yǐ bāng wǒ ma？ Can you help me? 可以 kě yǐ. Can do! Just like xíng, you can also use kě yǐ to grant someone permission to do something.
可以啊 / kě yǐ a
可以啊 (kě yǐ a) is similar to kě yǐ except that there is a little more excitement behind it. It’s like a “sure!” or “that sounds great!” or “let’s do this!”
没问题 / méi wèn tí
没问题 (méi wèn tí) literally means “no problem.” Use it when you’re cool with getting something done or accepting a request without question. It’s pretty much just like the English “not a problem.” You can also say méi wèn tí to express that you totally understood something thoroughly, almost like the English “all good.” 老師: 同學，你們有問題嗎? Lǎoshī: Tóngxué, nǐmen yǒu wèntí ma? Teacher: Classmates, do you have any questions? 同學: 沒問題。 Tóngxué: Méi wèntí. Classmate: All good.
没关系 / méi guān xi
没关系 (méi guanxi) literally means “no relation,” from which one can extrapolate “no causation” or “no matter.” In common speech it pretty much means “it doesn’t matter” as in “it’s ok” or “it’s fine.” In everyday Mandarin conversation, it’s used pretty much just like its English equivalents “no worries” (or the more formal “not to worry”) or “it’s all good” to express permission or to say that something is basically ok. You can also use méi guanxi along with méi wèn tí to sound even more natural in some cases, as in: 不好意思，我今天要取消約會，我的貓咪生病了。 Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ jīntiān yào qǔxiāo yuēhuì, wǒde māomī shēngbìngle. Sorry, I need to cancel our date today, my cat is sick. 沒關係。沒問題 Méi guānxì. Méi wèntí. No worries. All good.
没错 / méi cuò
没错 (méi cuò) is the “yes” you say to mean something is correct, or that you agree with something someone just said. It literally means “no error,” but in everyday conversation it can be used like its English equivalent “that’s right!” or just “right.” With the right intonation, it can also mean “right on!”
正确 / zhèng què
Not as common in everyday conversation, 正确 (zhèng què) means “yes” as in “yes, that’s the correct answer,” like on a test. 你的回答是正确的。 Nǐ de huídá shì zhèngquè de. Your answer is correct. But you can also use zhèng què when you think someone made a correct choice outside of a test or exam.
The wild card
The easiest and most natural way to say yes in Mandarin is to repeat the main verb or adjective in the question. Just pay attention to what that verb or adjective is, and give it right back! Examples: 你有狗吗？ Nǐ yǒu gǒu ma? Do you have a dog? 有 yǒu I have. (As in “yes, I have a dog.”) 这件衬衫紧吗？ Zhè jiàn chènshān jǐn ma? Is this shirt tight (on me)? 紧 jǐn Tight. (As in “yes, it’s tight on you.”)
Bonus Round! More Emotive Ways to Say Yes
So now that you know the most common ways to say yes in Mandarin, let’s flip things around for a bonus round! Here are 12 other ways you can say yes with more emotion behind it:
1. yesss!!! You could say 太棒了(tài bàng le) or 太好了 (tài hǎo le) to really say yes like you mean it!
2. hell yeah! Here you could use 喔(o) or 是的 (shì de) for a very passionate yes.
3. um…yeah… When you want to say something is really obvious, the english equivalent of “duh!”, you can say 恩..是阿! (ēn…shì a!)
4. totally! You could say 對 (duì!),
5. absolutely! You could say 絕對 (juéduì) to mean “absolutely” or “definitely”
6. for sure! You could say 一定 (yīdìng) to mean “for sure” or “certainly”
7. definitely! You could say 肯定 (kěndìng) to mean “definitely” or “certainly”
8. of course! You could say 當然 (dāngrán) to mean “of course”
9. sure thing! You could say 沒問題 (méi wèntí) to mean “no problem” or “sure thing”
10. no worries! You could say 沒關係 (méi guān xi) to mean “no worries” or “not to worry”
11. that’s right! You could say 沒錯 (méi cuò) to mean “that’s right” or “right”
12. right on! You could say 正确 (zhèng què) to mean “right on” or “correct”
FAQs
1. How many ways are there to say “yes” in Mandarin?
There are multiple ways to say “yes” in Mandarin, with different expressions and levels of enthusiasm.
2. What is the most common way to say “yes” in Mandarin?
The most common way to say “yes” in Mandarin is “是” (shì), which is used as an affirmative statement to any yes/no question.
3. Are there different ways to express enthusiasm when saying “yes” in Mandarin?
Yes, there are various ways to express enthusiasm when saying “yes” in Mandarin, such as using “好啊” (hǎo a) for an enthusiastic yes.
4. Can “好的” (hǎo de) be used to express understanding in addition to saying “yes”?
Yes, “好的” (hǎo de) can be used to express understanding or rationale behind something, in addition to being used as a way to say “yes” without hesitating.
5. What is the wild card method of saying “yes” in Mandarin?
The wild card method of saying “yes” in Mandarin involves repeating the main verb or adjective in the question to affirm the statement.
6. How can one express a passionate “yes” in Mandarin?
To express a passionate “yes” in Mandarin, one can use expressions such as “太棒了” (tài bàng le) or “是的” (shì de) to convey enthusiasm and agreement.