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How to Say Yes and No in 100 Different Languages
Travelers need to know how to say yes and no in different languages because it can help them get what they want while traveling.
For example, if you are traveling in a foreign country or moving abroad, and you don’t speak the language, being able to say no can help you avoid getting scammed or taken advantage of.
Additionally, knowing how to say yes can help you take advantage of opportunities that come your way.
It’s two simple words to use that you can add to your vocabulary while abroad.
Let’s dive into 100 ways to say yes and no in different languages from around the world.
Need help learning a new language? I recommend iTalki! I’ve tried ALL the apps, but iTalki is the only way I’ve managed to learn as much as living in the local country.
Yes and No in Different Languages
1. English
Yes
No
Where to Say It: The second most spoken language in the world, it’s an international language for expats to use and be understood. It’s the official language of Canada, the UK, the United States, Australia, New Zealand.
2. French
Yes = Oui
How to Pronounce it: oo-wee
No = Non
How to Pronounce it: noh-n
Where to Say It: Most popular in France, French is also widely spoken in other countries around the world. You’ll be understood in Quebec and most of Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco, Tunisia, and Alergia. Additionally, French is spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Guinea, Gabon, and Mauritius. You’ll want to pick up a phrasebook to help with the complex grammar.
3. Spanish
Yes = Sí
How to Pronounce it: see
No = No
How to Pronounce it: noh
Where to Say It: Spanish is the native language of Spain and Mexico. In most of South America and Central America, Spanish is the primary language. It is also the second most common language in the United States.
If you’re planning a trip to Spain and looking to learn even more Spanish, I highly recommend picking up this pocket phrasebook. It is the perfect guide to keep in your pocket/purse and use on the go and it’s affordable!
4. Italian
Yes = Si
How to Pronounce it: see
No = No
How to Pronounce it: noh
Where to Say It: Italy.
Learn the top 1000 common Italian phrases with this book to help you get to know locals – and maybe find love in Italy!
5. Portuguese
Yes = Sim
How to Pronounce it: see-m
No = Nāo
How to Pronounce it: no-ow
Where to Say It: Portuguese is the language of Portugal and Brazil. It is still spoken in former colonies, like Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Sao Tome, and Macau. You’ll also find linguistic roots in the Philippines.
6. Maori
Yes = Āe
How to Pronounce it:
No = Kāo
How to Pronounce it:
Where to Say It: Indigenous peoples of New Zealand.
Maori pronunciations are really complicated. Avoid being laughed at for confusing your “f”s with “wh”s. This book helped me a lot.
7. Australian
Yes = Yeah, Yeah nah
No = Nah
Where to Say It: Used in Australia and New Zealand.
8. Greek
Yes = Nai
How to Pronounce it: nee
No = Ochi
How to Pronounce it: o-kee
Where to Say It: It can be used to greet people in Greece and Cyprus.
9. Serbian
Yes = Da
How to Pronounce it: dah
No = Ne
How to Pronounce it: neh
Where to Say It: This Slavic language is spoken in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Croatia. It is similar to many other Slavic languages.
10. Croatian
Yes = Da
How to Pronounce it: dah
No = Ne
How to Pronounce it: neh
Where to Say It: Croatian is best used in Croatia, but is also spoken in some parts of Bosnia and Serbia.
11. Russian
Yes = Da
How to Pronounce it: dah
No = Nyet
How to Pronounce it: nyet
Where to Say It: Russian is the most common language in Eastern Europe. Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and other Eastern European countries.
12. Mandarin
Yes = Shi
How to Pronounce it: shee
No = Bu ‘hao
How to Pronounce it: buh how
Where to Say It: As the most spoken language in the world, it’s useful to know how to say yes and no in this language everywhere. It’s primarily spoken in China. If you’re visiting, you should pick up some books to learn Chinese Madarin before you arrive.
13. Cantonese
Yes = Hěi
How to Pronounce it: hey
No = M hěi
How to Pronounce it: m-hey
Where to Say It: Many people think “Chinese” is a language, but Cantonese and Mandarin are very different. Cantonese is mostly spoken in Southern China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
14. Hindi
Yes = Haan
How to Pronounce it: haa-an
No = Nahin
How to Pronounce it: nah-heen
Where to Say It: Hindi is one of the official languages of India, but is most commonly spoken in Northern India.
15. Japanese
Yes = Hai
How to Pronounce it: hi
No = Ie
How to Pronounce it: ee
Where to Say It: Japan.
16. Turkish
Yes = Evet
How to Pronounce it: eh-vet
No = Hayir
How to Pronounce it: hay-eer
Where to Say It: Turkish is spoken in Turkey and Cyprus. You’ll also find it in parts of Azerbaijan.
17. Korean
Yes = Ne
How to Pronounce it: neh
No = Ani
How to Pronounce it: an-ye
Where to Say It: North Korea and South Korea.
18. Slovak
Yes = Áno
How to Pronounce it: ah-no
No = Žiadny
How to Pronounce it: zee-ad-nee
Where to Say It: Primarily spoken in Slovakia.
19. German
Yes = Ja
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Nein
How to Pronounce it: nine
Where to Say It: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
This phrasebook helped me massively when I was trying to shop in Germany.
20. Dutch
Yes = Ja
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Nee
How to Pronounce it: nee
Where to Say It: Spoken by millions in the Netherlands and northern Belgium.
21. Polish
Yes = Tak
How to Pronounce it: tak
No = Nie
How to Pronounce it: nye
Where to Say It: The official language of Poland, Polish is said to be one of the hardest languages to learn.
22. Thai
Yes = Chi
How to Pronounce it: chee
No = Mì
How to Pronounce it: myi
Where to Say It: Sole language of Thailand.
Want to learn Thai? I recommend this pocket phrasebook that you can easily carry with you. This way you won’t be stranded in a market with no idea how to order dinner – or what you’re ordering!
23. Hungarian
Yes = Igen
How to Pronounce it: ee-gen
No = Nem
How to Pronounce it: nem
Where to Say It: Hungary is mostly spoken in Hungary, but parts of the Balkans also speak it.
24. Czech
Yes = Ano
How to Pronounce it: ahno
No = Ne
How to Pronounce it: neh
Where to Say It: Mainly spoken in the Czech Republic.
Need help learning a new language? I recommend iTalki! I’ve tried ALL the apps, but iTalki is the only way I’ve managed to learn as much as living in the local country.
25. Bengali
Yes = Hyām
How to Pronounce it: ham
No = Nā
How to Pronounce it: nah
Where to Say It: The official language of Bangladesh.
26. Urdu
Yes = Dschii haan
How to Pronounce it: gee han
No = Nahin
How to Pronounce it: nah-heen
Where to Say It: National language of Pakistan, with similarities to the Hindi language.
27. Persian
Yes = Bæleh
No = Næh
How to Pronounce it:
Where to Say It: Persian or Farsi is spoken is Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain.
28. Ukrainian
Yes = Tak
How to Pronounce it: tak
No = Ni
How to Pronounce it: nee
Where to Say It: Spoken in the Ukraine.
29. Swedish
Yes = Ja
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Nej
How to Pronounce it: neh-y
Where to Say It: Language of Sweden and the Aland Islands.
30. Afrikaans
Yes = Ja
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Geen
How to Pronounce it: gee-en
Where to Say It: South Africa and Namibia. Some parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe also speak Afrikans.
31. Romanian
Yes = Da
How to Pronounce it: dah
No = Nu
How to Pronounce it: noo
Where to Say It: Spoken in Romania and Moldova.
32. Hebrew
Yes = Ken
No = Loh
How to Pronounce it:
Where to Say It: Historically, the language of those in Israel and of the Jewish faith.
33. Armenian
Yes = Ayo
How to Pronounce it: ah-yoh
No = Voch
How to Pronounce it: voh-ch
Where to Say It: Republic of Armenia and in Armenian Diaspora communities.
34. Arabic
Yes = Na’am
How to Pronounce it: nahm
No = La’
How to Pronounce it: lah
Where to Say It: There are many dialects of Arabic throughout North Africa and the Middle East. Say hell in this Arabic in Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, and Yemen.
35. Punjabi
Yes = Hām
How to Pronounce it: hah-m
No = Nahim
How to Pronounce it: nah-eem
Where to Say It: This 10th most spoken language in the world is a language spoken in India.
36. Javanese
Yes = Ya wis
How to Pronounce it: ya wees
No = Ora
How to Pronounce it: oh-rah
Where to Say It: Spoken in Java, Indonesia.
37. Malay/Indonesian
Yes = Ya
How to Pronounce it: yah
No = Tidak
How to Pronounce it: tid-ak
Where to Say It: You’ll find this language in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. It is the official language of Malaysia and Brunei.
38. Vietnamese
Yes = Vâng
How to Pronounce it: vang
No = Không
How to Pronounce it: khong
Where to Say It: Primarily spoken in Vietnam.
39. Basque
Yes = Bai
How to Pronounce it: bah-i
No = Ez
How to Pronounce it: ezz
Where to Say It: Spoken in the Basque regions of Spain, located in Northern Spain and Southern France.
40. Bavarian
Yes = Iå
How to Pronounce it: ee-a
No = Na
How to Pronounce it: nah
Where to Say It: Regional dialect in Bavaria, Germany, and Western Austria.
41. Tagalog
Yes = Oo
How to Pronounce it: Oh-oh
No = Hindi
How to Pronounce it: hin-dee
Where to Say It: Tagalog is the primary language of the Philippines.
42. Swahili
Yes = Ndio
How to Pronounce it: en-dee-oh
No = Hapana
How to Pronounce it: hap-ana
Where to Say It: Swahili is mainly in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. It is the secondary language in East Africa.
43. Uzbek
Yes = Ha
How to Pronounce it: ha
No = No
How to Pronounce it: no
Where to Say It: Uzbek is the national language of Uzbekistan.
44. Azerbaijani
Yes = Beli
How to Pronounce it: beh-lee
No = Yox
How to Pronounce it: yox
Where to Say It: Say yes and no this way in Azerbaijan. You’ll also find it in Northern Iran, southern Dagestan, Kvemo Kartli in Georgia, Eastern Turkey, and some parts of Iraq.
45. Kurdish
Yes = Balé
How to Pronounce it: bah-leh
No = Na
How to Pronounce it: nah
Where to Say It: Spoken by 30 million people in Western Asian, including Kurdistan, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria.
46. Nepali
Yes = Hō
How to Pronounce it: ho
No = No
How to Pronounce it: no
Where to Say It: Sole language of Nepal and one of the languages of India.
47. Haitian Creole
Yes = Wi
How to Pronounce it: wee
No = Non
How to Pronounce it: nohn
Where to Say It: Spoken in Haiti, along with French.
48. Belarusian
Yes = Tak
How to Pronounce it: tak
No = He
How to Pronounce it: heh
Where to Say It: Spoken in Belarus and parts of Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.
49. Chichewa
Yes = Eya
How to Pronounce it: ee-yah
No = Ayi
How to Pronounce it: ah-yee
Where to Say It: Also called Nyanja, this Bantu language is spoken in Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
50. Fijian
Yes = Io
How to Pronounce it: ee-oh
No = Sega
How to Pronounce it: se-gah
Where to Say It: Native language of Fiji.
51. Hawaiian
Yes = ‘Ae
How to Pronounce it: ay-ee
No = ‘A’ole
How to Pronounce it: a-oh-leh
Where to Say It: Spoken in Hawaii.
52. Samoan
Yes = ‘Ioe
How to Pronounce it: i-oh-eh
No = Leai
How to Pronounce it: le-ai
Where to Say It: The Samoan Islands.
53. Tongan
Yes = ‘Io
How to Pronounce it: ee-oh
No = Ikai
How to Pronounce it: ik-i
Where to Say It: Language of the Kingdom of Tonga.
54. Yiddish
Yes = Yo
How to Pronounce it: yo
No = Neyn
How to Pronounce it: neyn
Where to Say It: Historical language of the Ashkenazi Jewish peoples.
55. Welsh
Yes = Oes
How to Pronounce it: oh-ees
No = Dim
How to Pronounce it: dim
Where to Say It: Spoken in Wales and routinely mocked in greater Britain for its abundance of consonants.
56. Norwegian
Yes = Ja
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Nei
How to Pronounce it: nay
Where to Say It: Norway.
57. Lithuanian
Yes = Taip
How to Pronounce it: tayp
No = Ne
How to Pronounce it: ney
Where to Say It: Lithuania.
58. Latvian
Yes = Ja
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Ne
How to Pronounce it: ney
Where to Say It: Official language of Latvia.
59. Icelandic
Yes = Ja
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Nei
How to Pronounce it: ney
Where to Say It: Spoken only in Iceland.
60. Scottish Gaelic
Yes = Tha
No = Chan eil
How to Pronounce it:
Where to Say It: Native to the Gaels of Scotland. It is now rarely spoken in Scotland.
61. Irish
Yes = Ta
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Uimh
How to Pronounce it: oo-im
Where to Say It: The Irish Gaelic language is spoken in Ireland.
62. Estonian
Yes = Jah
How to Pronounce it: yah
No = Ei
How to Pronounce it: ey
Where to Say It: Estonia.
63. Bosnian
Yes = Da
How to Pronounce it: dah
No = Ne
How to Pronounce it: ney
Where to Say It: Bosnia.
64. Danish
Yes = Ja
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Ingen
How to Pronounce it: ing
Where to Say It: Denmark.
65. Lao
Yes = Doi
How to Pronounce it: doy
No = Bo
How to Pronounce it: boh
Where to Say It: Main language of Laos.
66. Georgian
Yes = Ho
How to Pronounce it: ho
No = Ara
How to Pronounce it: ara
Where to Say It: Georgia (the country, not the US state).
67. Sesotho
Yes = Ho joalo
How to Pronounce it: hi joaloh
No = Che
How to Pronounce it: cheh
Where to Say It: Basotho in Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
68. Esperanto
Yes = Jes
How to Pronounce it: yes
No = Ne
How to Pronounce it: ney
Where to Say It: Artificial language created to be a widely spoken language in the world.
69. Maltese
Yes = Iva
How to Pronounce it: i-vah
No = Le
How to Pronounce it: le
Where to Say It: Malta, Gozo, and Comino in the Mediterranean.
70. Finnish
Yes = Joo
How to Pronounce it: yoh
No = Ei
How to Pronounce it: ay
Where to Say It: Finland.
71. Igbo
Yes = Ee
How to Pronounce it: ee
No = Mba
How to Pronounce it: mbah
Where to Say It: Nigeria.
72. Luxembourgish
Yes = Jo
How to Pronounce it: yo
No = Nee
How to Pronounce it: nee
Where to Say It: Luxembourg.
73. Navajo
Yes = Aoo’
How to Pronounce it: ah-oo
No = Dooda
How to Pronounce it: doo-dah
Where to Say It: Southwestern United States by the Navajo peoples.
74. Swiss German
Yes = Ja
How to Pronounce it: ya
No = Nein
How to Pronounce it: nine
Where to Say It: Upper German dialect name that’s spoken in Switzerland, Lichtenstein, parts of Germany, and Alsace, France.
Need help learning a new language? I recommend iTalki! I’ve tried ALL the apps, but iTalki is the only way I’ve managed to learn as much as living in the local country.
75. Tahitian
Yes = E
How to Pronounce it: ay
No = Aita
How to Pronounce it: eye-tah
Where to Say It: Spoken in the Society Islands in French Polynesia.
76. Albanian
Yes = Po
How to Pronounce it: poh
No = Jo
How to Pronounce it: joh
Where to Say It: Albanian is the predominant language of Albania and Kosovo. You will find it in other regions of the Balkans as well.
77. Catalan
Yes = Sí
How to Pronounce it: see
No = No
How to Pronounce it: no
Where to Say It: Official language of Andorra and the co-official language of some Spanish communities, like Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.
78. Galician
Yes = Si
How to Pronounce it: see
No = Non
How to Pronounce it: nohn
Where to Say It: Northwestern Spain.
79. Mongolian
Yes = Tiimeee
How to Pronounce it: tee-mee
No = Ugui
How to Pronounce it: oo-goo-i
Where to Say It: Mongolia, parts of Russia, and parts of Kyrgyzstan.
80. Wolof
Yes = Waaw
How to Pronounce it: wao
No = Déedéyt
How to Pronounce it: dey-dey
Where to Say It: Senegal.
81. Wu (Shanghainese)
Yes = Zi e
How to Pronounce it: zee e
No = Vak
How to Pronounce it: vak
Where to Say It: A variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the city of Shanghai and its surrounding areas.
82. Tamil
Yes = Ām
How to Pronounce it: ahm
No = Illai
How to Pronounce it: il-lay
Where to Say It: Southern India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.
83. Pashto
Yes = Oke
How to Pronounce it: oh-kay
No = Na
How to Pronounce it: nah
Where to Say It: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.
84. Kannada
Yes = Haudu
How to Pronounce it: how-doo
No = Illa
How to Pronounce it: il-yah
Where to Say It: Southwestern India.
85. Hausa
Yes = Eh
How to Pronounce it: ehh
No = A’a
How to Pronounce it: a-ah
Where to Say It: Hausa is the native language of Niger and Northern Nigeria. It is also used in some countries in West and Central Africa.
86. Burmese
Yes = Ho-tei
How to Pronounce it: hoh-tay
No = mahotebhuu
How to Pronounce it: mah-ho-tboo
Where to Say It: Myanmar, especially by the Bamar people.
87. Amharic
Yes = Awo
How to Pronounce it: ah-woh
No = Ayi
How to Pronounce it: ah-yee
Where to Say It: This is an informal way to say yes and no in the Amharic language. It’s the language of Ethiopia. You can also use it in Egypt and Eritrea.
88. Breton
Yes = Ya
How to Pronounce it: yah
No = Nann
How to Pronounce it: nahn
Where to Say It: Brittany in the Northwest of France.
89. Oromo
Yes = Ee’ee
How to Pronounce it: ee-eh
No = hiyoo
How to Pronounce it: hi-yoo
Where to Say It: This Cushitic language is spoken by millions in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Egypt.
90. Manipuri
Yes = Hoi
How to Pronounce it: hoy
No = Natte
How to Pronounce it: nah-tay
Where to Say It: Manipur in India.
91. Cebuano
Yes = Oo
How to Pronounce it: ooh
No = Wala
How to Pronounce it: wah-lah
Where to Say It: The Philippines.
92. Malagasy
Yes = Eny
How to Pronounce it: enee
No = Tsia
How to Pronounce it: tsee-ah
Where to Say It: Madagascar.
93. Santali
Yes = Hen
How to Pronounce it: hen
No = No
How to Pronounce it: noh
Where to Say It: West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Orissa in India.
94. Khmer
Yes = Bat
How to Pronounce it: baht
No = Te
How to Pronounce it: tay
Where to Say It: Cambodia.
95. Sinhalese
Yes = Ov
How to Pronounce it: ov
No = Naeta
How to Pronounce it: nay-tah
Where to Say It: Sri Lanka.
96. Somali
Yes = Haa
How to Pronounce it: hah
No = Maya
How to Pronounce it: may-ah
Where to Say It: Somalia.
97. Taiwanese Hokkien
Yes = Si
How to Pronounce it: see
No = M Si
How to Pronounce it: mm see
Where to Say It: Taiwan.
98. Tswana
Yes = Ee
How to Pronounce it: ey
No = Nyaa
How to Pronounce it: nyaah
Where to Say It: Botswana and South Africa.
99. Quechua
Yes = Ari
How to Pronounce it: ah-ree
No = Mana
How to Pronounce it: mah-nah
Where to Say It: Peru.
100. Xhosa
Yes = Ewe
How to Pronounce it: ewe
No = Hayi
How to Pronounce it: hay-ee
Where to Say It: Bantu language of South Africa.
Closing Thoughts on Yes and No in Every Language
Learning a language abroad can be an extremely rewarding experience.
Not only will you get to know another culture, but you’ll also learn the nuances of their language. Babbel offers online courses that make learning a new language easy and fun.
With Babbel, you can learn on your own time and at your own pace.
Plus, with their interactive exercises and games, you can practice what you’ve learned and see how far you’ve progressed.
Use these yes and nos in different languages to help spark a love of learning languages!
Practice more languages with iTalki! iTalki will help you get ready to move abroad to any country by learning the language.
Get connected with real people who will help you learn a new language like you would while living abroad.
Click here to get started with iTalki today!
Read More About Languages Abroad
- How to Say Hello in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say Yes and No in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say How Are You in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say Goodbye in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say Thank You in 100 Different Languages
- How to Say Cheers in 100 Different Languages + Pronunciation
- How to Say I Love You in 100 Different Languages
- New Zealand Slang: From Sweet As to Swear Words
- Guide to 100+ Canadian Slang: Unique Canadian Sayings and Phrases You Need to Know
- How to Say Water in 100 Different Languages + Pronunciations
- How to Say Please in 100 Different Languages
Pin this for later!
Canada Travel Planning Guide
🚑 Should I buy Canada travel insurance?
100% YES! — Canada has “free” healthcare but it’s only for citizens! Foreigners visiting need travel insurance in case anything happens on their visit. I recommend World Nomads – starting at just $5 a day!
💧Can you drink the water in Canada?
Yes — In all major cities in Canada, you can drink the tap water. There are very few, rural areas that you can’t. However, you should never drink river or lake water anywhere in the country! I recommend a Brita Water Bottle for long hikes and backcountry camping to stay safe and hydrated.
🚙💨 Is it safe to rent a car in Canada?
Yes — Renting a car is a necessity in most of Canada! If you want to go on road trips or adventures outside of the major cities, you’ll need to rent a car. (Read more)
📲 Will my phone work in Canada?
Maybe — Some American companies work in Canada, but many will not. If your phone doesn’t work in Canada, I recommend getting a Canadian SIM card so you can get around and stay in contact with loved ones. We don’t have a lot of free WIFI in Canada, so you’ll need your phone for maps.
🏩 What’s the best way to book my Canada accommodations?
My go-to for Canadian hotels is Booking.com. For hostels, I use Hostel World. If you want a home-y feeling, check out VRBO (which is cheaper and safer than Airbnb).
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✈️ What’s the best site to buy Canada flights?
For finding cheap Canadian flights, I recommend Skyscanner.
🎫 Do I need a visa for Canada?
Likely Not — US, UK, and EU passport holders don’t need Canadian visas. However, some other countries do (check here!). And if you plan to stay for more than 4 weeks (an average tourist visa length), you will need to look into visas to live in Canada.
