English–Chinese

“yes” in Chinese

Chinese

Also对啊 (duì a) · 是的 (shì de)

Pinyinǹ

你今天忙吗？嗯，有点儿。nǐ jīn tiān máng ma ǹ yóu diǎnr

Are you busy today? Yes, a little.

“Yes” in Chinese is 嗯 (ǹ).

A small spoken bridge that acknowledges what was heard or leaves a moment for thought.

你觉得这个怎么样？嗯，让我想想。nǐ jué de zhè ge zěn me yàng ǹ ràng wǒ xiáng xiǎng

What do you think of this? Hmm, let me think.

A short sound often closes a turn, while a lengthened sound can keep the turn open as the speaker thinks.

duì a

interjectionyes

你明天来吗？对啊我会来。nǐ míng tiān lái ma duì a wǒ huì lái

Are you coming tomorrow? Yes, I am.

shì de

interjectionyes

你明天来吗？是的，我会来。nǐ míng tiān lái ma shì de wǒ huì lái

Are you coming tomorrow? Yes, I will come.