Traditional Chinese - Yes and No

對

Duì.

Yes.

Meaning: 對。 (Duì.) means “Yes.” Use it to confirm facts or agree that something is correct.

When to use: Use 對。 (Duì.) when someone asks a fact-checking question, like “Is this yours?” or “Is that right?”

Tip: Don’t use 對。 (Duì.) for every English “yes.” Mandarin often answers with the verb from the question.

沒有

Méiyǒu.

No.

Meaning: 沒有。 (Méiyǒu.) means “No” or “I don’t have / there isn’t.”

When to use: Use 沒有。 (Méiyǒu.) for a short negative answer, especially with 有沒有 (yǒu méiyǒu) questions.

Tip: 沒有。 (Méiyǒu.) is very common, but for “Are you…?” questions, use 不是 (bú shì) instead.

好，謝謝

Hǎo, xièxie.

Yes, please.

Meaning: 好，謝謝。 (Hǎo, xièxie.) means “Yes, please.”

When to use: Use 好，謝謝。 (Hǎo, xièxie.) to politely accept an offer, help, food, or a drink.

不用了，謝謝

Bú yòng le, xièxie.

No, thank you.

Meaning: 不用了，謝謝。 (Bú yòng le, xièxie.) means “No, thank you.”

When to use: Use 不用了，謝謝。 (Bú yòng le, xièxie.) to politely decline an offer, service, or item.

可以

kěyǐ.

Sure.

Meaning: 可以。 (kěyǐ.) means “Sure” or “That’s okay.”

When to use: Use 可以。 (kěyǐ.) to agree to a request or say something is acceptable.

對，我是

duì, wǒ shì.

Yes, I am.

Meaning: 對，我是。 (duì, wǒ shì.) means “Yes, I am.”

When to use: Use 對，我是。 (duì, wǒ shì.) to answer questions about who you are or what your identity/status is.

不，我不是

bù, wǒ bú shì.

No, I'm not.

Meaning: 不，我不是。 (bù, wǒ bú shì.) means “No, I’m not.”

When to use: Use 不，我不是。 (bù, wǒ bú shì.) to clearly deny a question about your identity or status.

Tip: For identity questions with 是 (shì), the negative answer is 不是 (bú shì), not 沒有 (méiyǒu).

對，我有

duì, wǒ yǒu.

Yes, I do.

Meaning: 對，我有。 (duì, wǒ yǒu.) means “Yes, I do” or “Yes, I have.”

When to use: Use 對，我有。 (duì, wǒ yǒu.) for questions about having something, experience, habits, or actions when the question uses 有 (yǒu).

沒有，我沒有

méiyǒu, wǒ méiyǒu.

No, I don't.

Meaning: 沒有，我沒有。 (méiyǒu, wǒ méiyǒu.) means “No, I don’t” or “No, I don’t have.”

When to use: Use 沒有，我沒有。 (méiyǒu, wǒ méiyǒu.) to clearly deny having something, doing something, or having an experience.

不太算

bù tài suàn.

Not really.

Meaning: 不太算。 (bù tài suàn.) means “Not really.”

When to use: Use 不太算。 (bù tài suàn.) when the answer is softly negative, like “kind of no” or “not exactly.”

好

Hǎo.

Okay.

Meaning: 好。 (Hǎo.) means “Okay.”

When to use: Use 好。 (Hǎo.) for a simple agreement, acceptance, or “okay” response.

好啊

Hǎo a.

All right.

Meaning: 好啊。 (Hǎo a.) means “All right” or “Sure, sounds good.”

When to use: Use 好啊。 (Hǎo a.) when you agree with a friendly, willing tone.

應該是

Yīnggāi shì.

I think so.

Meaning: 應該是。 (Yīnggāi shì.) means “I think so.”

When to use: Use 應該是。 (Yīnggāi shì.) when you are mostly sure, but not 100% certain.