How to say Yes in Chinese
Knowing how to say YES in a new language that you are learning, is quite important and very useful. Is “yes” in Chinese as simple as in English? The answer is, nope! But it is not hard, either! Even though we do not have direct answers for “yes” in Chinese, we have some rules for you to follow. In this article, we will talk about how to say yes in Mandarin Chinese.
11 Ways to Say Yes in Chinese
There are many situations in which we will say YES! Let’s learn some common ways to say yes in Mandarin Chinese.
Saying Yes to Yes/No Questions
When answering a yes or no question, it depends on the “verb” or the “adjective” in the question. If the answer is “yes,” you can simply repeat the verb or adjective as a short answer. If the answer is “no,” you add “不” or “没” before the verb. You can see the article on how to say no in Chinese, for more “NO” details.
The pattern looks like this:
Answer with “yes”
Short answer: verb / adjective
Sentence answer: Subject + verb + adjective (+ object)
Example 1,
A: May I ask, are you Li Ming?
请问，你是李明吗？
Qǐngwèn, nǐ shì lǐ míng ma?
B: Yes, I am.
是，我是。
Shì, wǒ shì.
Example 2,
A: Is he your dad?
这位是你爸爸吗？
Zhè wèi shì nǐ bàba ma?
B: Yes, he is my dad.
是，他是我爸爸。
Shì, tā shì wǒ bàba.
Example 3,
A: Are you coming tomorrow?
你明天来不来？
Nǐ míngtiān lái bu lái?
B: Yes, I will come.
来！我会来。
Lái! Wǒ huì lái.
Example 4,
A: Is she pretty?
她漂亮吗？
Tā piàoliang ma?
B: Yes. I think she is very pretty.
漂亮！我觉得她很漂亮。
Piàoliang! Wǒ juédé tā hěn piàoliang.
Saying Yes to accept an invitation
Keyword
Sure, ok 好 hǎo
There are a variety of situations when you respond yes to an invitation. We have listed just the one keyword above, but it does not mean you can only use this word to say yes. “好 hǎo” is a general word to say yes to an invite.
Example 1,
A: I would like to invite you and your family over for my son’s birthday party this Saturday at 3.
我想邀请你和你家人来我儿子的生日派对，这的星期六下午三点。
Wǒ xiǎng yāoqǐng nǐ hé nǐ jiārén lái wǒ érzi de shēngrì pàiduì, zhè de xīngqíliù xiàwǔ sān diǎn.
B: Thank you. Yes, we can come.
谢谢你！好，我们会去。
Xièxiè nǐ! Hǎo, wǒmen huì qù.
Example 2,
A: I would like to take you out for dinner. Are you available tomorrow night?
我想请你吃饭，你明天晚上有空吗？
Wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ chīfàn, nǐ míngtiān wǎnshàng yǒu kòng ma?
B: Sure, I am available tomorrow.
好，我明天晚上有空。
Hǎo, wǒ míngtiān wǎnshàng yǒu kòng.
*OK, yes, sure 好 hǎo
*Emoji fun fact: If you type “hao” on your Chinese pinyin keyboard (at least on iPhones and Macs), do you know what you will get?
Let’s try it! You will get this → 👌 Isn’t it cool?
Saying Yes to express pleasure
Sure; ok! 好啊 hǎo a
Of course 当然 dāngrán
That’s great, that would be great! 太好了！Tài hǎole!
**Yay 耶！yē!
Example 1,
(After dinner…)
Dad: Do you guys want to go get some ice cream?
你们想去吃冰淇淋吗？
Nǐmen xiǎng qù chī bīngqílín ma?
Kids: Yay! Of course!
耶！当然想吃！
Yē! Dāngrán xiǎng chī!
Example 2,
A: I want to go shopping this afternoon? Want to go together?
我今天下午想去逛街，你想要一起去吗？
Wǒ jīntiān xiàwǔ xiǎng qù guàngjiē, nǐ xiǎng yào yīqǐ qù ma?
B: Sure!
好啊!
Hǎo a!
**Fun fact 1: When you want to take pictures with your friends from China or Taiwan, you may notice they often post their hands like this, ✌️. Do you know it doesn’t mean “peace?” The hand gesture actually means “yay!” Many Chinese, especially the younger generation, like to pose with a “V” hand gesture while taking pictures.
**Emoji fun fact 2: If you have a Chinese pinyin keyboard on your smartphone or computer (at least on iPhones and Macs), type “ye” and see what emoji you will find!
Yes, you will get ✌️!
Saying Yes to agree
Keywords
Right, correct 没错 méi cuò
Right, correct 对 duì
Correct 正确 zhèngquè
The first one, “没错 méi cuò,” literally means “not wrong.” The usage of the first one and the second one is pretty similar. When you agree with what someone says, you can use both “没错 méi cuò” and “对 duì.”
Even though all three of the keywords above can be translated as “correct,” the last one, “正确 zhèngquè,” is normally used in a formal setting or in documents.
Let’s see the examples for each keyword:
Example 1,
A: Are you the one who took those pictures?
你是照那些照片的人吗？
Nǐ shì zhào nàxiē zhàopiàn de rén ma?
B: That’s right. It was me.
没错，是我。
Méi cuò, shì wǒ.
Example 2,
A: Did you choose “B” for question 5?
妳第五题选Ｂ吗？
Nǎi dì wǔ tí xuǎn B ma?
B: Yes, I chose B.
对，我选Ｂ。
Duì, wǒ xuǎn B.
Example 3,
A: Are those pieces of information correct?
这些资讯正确吗？
Zhèxiē zīxùn zhèngquè ma?
B: Yes, they are correct.
正确。
Zhèngquè.
Saying Yes to permit a request
Yes, OK 行 xíng
Yes, sure 可以 kěyǐ
When someone asks permission from you, the question usually contains the phrase “可以 kěyǐ.” But when answering the questions, both keywords above can be used. See two examples below:
Example 1,
Student: Teacher, may I come in?
老师，我可以进来吗？
Lǎoshī, wǒ kěyǐ jìnlái ma?
Teacher: Yes, come in!
可以，你进来吧！
Kěyǐ, nǐ jìnlái ba!
Example 2,
Child: Dad, can I go to Joe’s house?
爸爸，我可以去 Joe 的家吗？
Bàba, wǒ kěyǐ qù Joe de jiā ma?
Dad: Sure. But come back before dinner.
行！但是你得晚餐前回来。
Xíng! Dànshì nǐ dé wǎncān qián huílái.
Saying Yes to claim the ownership
Keyword
***Have 有 yǒu
If someone is asking if you have, or own, something and you do, you can claim the ownership by using the word “有 yǒu.”
Example 1,
A: Do you have a scooter?
你有机车吗？
Nǐ yǒujī chē ma?
B: Yes, I have one.
有，我有一辆机车。
Yǒu, wǒ yǒuyī liàng jīchē.
Example 2,
A: Do you have children?
你有孩子吗？
Nǐ yǒu háizi ma?
B: Yes, I have two children, one boy and one girl.
有，我有两个孩子。一个儿子，一个女儿。
Yǒu, wǒ yǒu liǎng gè háizi. Yīgè er zi, yīgè nǚ’ér.
***Emoji fun fact: If you are familiar with emojis, you may have seen this “ 🈶️ ” before. Look familiar? Yes, that is the word “have 有 yǒu.”
Saying Yes to express the ability
To know how to 会 huì
To know 知道 zhīdào
The word 会 huì means the skill or knowledge you have learned. So when someone asks if you know how to do a certain skill, you can answer yes by saying “会 huì.”
You can also use the phrase “知道 zhīdào to know.” It usually comes with “怎么 zěnme” which means “how, how to.” Check out the examples below:
Example 1,
A: Do you know how to say this character “难”?
你知道怎么说 “难” 这个字吗？
Nǐ zhīdào zěnme shuō “nán” zhège zì ma?
B: Yes. This character is “nán,” it means hard, difficult.
知道，这个字是 “nán” ，意思是 hard, difficult.
Zhīdào, zhège zì shì “nán”, yìsi shì hard, difficult.
Example 2,
A: Does your brother know how to drive?
你弟弟会开车吗？
Nǐ dìdì huì kāichē ma?
B: Yes, he just got his license this summer.
会，他今年夏天刚拿到驾照。
Huì, tā jīnnián xiàtiān gāng ná dào jiàzhào.
Saying Yes to express a hesitant OK
OK… Fine… 好吧 hǎo ba
There are other times you are kind of forced to say yes, with a hesitant or unwilling voice. Here is how we say it:
Example 1,
Child: Mom, I am going out with my friend tonight. I probably won’t be home until 11 pm.
妈妈，我今天晚上要跟朋友出去，可能要十一点才回来。
Māmā, wǒ jīntiān wǎnshàng yào gēn péngyǒu chūqù, kěnéng yào shíyī diǎn cái huílái.
Mom: No, you need to be home by 9:30 pm. Otherwise, you are not allowed to go out.
不行，你得九点半以前回来，不然你不能出去。
Bùxíng, nǐ dé jiǔ diǎn bàn yǐqián huílái, bùrán nǐ bùnéng chūqù.
Child: OK. Fine.
喔，好吧。
Ō, hǎo ba.
Example 2,
(You are afraid of roller coasters. But you go to an amusement park with some of your close friends, they all want you to try one.)
Your friend: Let’s go on it for just one time, ok?
我们一起去玩一次，好不好？
Wǒmen yīqǐ qù wán yīcì, hǎobù hǎo?
You: OK. Fine.
好吧。
Hǎo ba.
Saying Yes to express the possibility
Keyword
Can 可以 kěyǐ
A: Is it possible you could lend me some money?
我可以跟你借一点钱吗？
Wǒ kěyǐ gēn nǐ jiè yīdiǎn qián ma?
B: OK, fine. How much?
好吧…可以。借多少？
Hǎo ba… Kěyǐ. Jiè duōshǎo?
Saying Yes to your significant one!
I am willing / yes, I do 我愿意！ Wǒ yuànyì!
Yes, I do! When someone proposes to you, this is the way to respond in Chinese, say “我愿意！ Wǒ yuànyì!”
We also say this at weddings.
Your officiant: “Will you take this woman/man to be your wife/husband, …”
你愿意他 / 她成为你的丈夫 / 妻子…
Nǐ yuànyì tā/ tā chéngwéi nǐde zhàngfū/ qīzi…
You: Yes, I do.
我愿意。
Wǒ yuànyì.
Saying Yes to express your doubt
Keywords
Oh 哦？Ó?
Really? 真的吗？Zhēn de ma?
Yeah? 是吗？Shì ma?
We sometimes do not truly believe what people tell us; your response may be “oh yeah?” “really?” in English. Let’s see some examples:
Example 1,
(20 minutes after Jack got home from school)
Jack: Mom, I finished my homework. I am going to play now.
妈妈，我写完我的作业了！我要去玩了。
Māmā, wǒ xiě wán wǒ de zuòyèle! Wǒ yào qù wán le.
Mom: Oh yeah? Show me your homework.
哦？是吗？拿来给我看看。
Ná lái gěi wǒ kàn kàn.
Example 2,
A: I heard Kevin is getting married next month!
我听说 Kevin 下个月要结婚了！
Wǒ tīng shuō Kevin xià gè yuè yào jiéhūnle!
B: Yeah? I saw him last week, he said he did not have a girlfriend yet!
真的吗？我上星期看到他，他说他还没有女朋友。
Zhēn de ma? Wǒ shàng xīngqí kàn dào tā, tā shuō tā hái méiyǒu nǚ péngyǒu.
You are welcome to share with us other ways to say “yes” in Chinese! Please make a comment below!