是 shì — is; are; am; yes; to be
他是一名医生。Tā shì yì míng yī shēng.He is a doctor.
Common words: 还是 (hái shi)、是不是 (shì bu shì)、但是 (dàn shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "yes"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "yes", including 是 (shì), 唯 (wéi / wěi), 唉 (āi / ài). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "yes" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 是 (shì), 唯 (wéi / wěi), 唉 (āi / ài) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shì, wéi, wěi, āi, ài — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 是 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 是 shìis; are; am; yes; to beUseful words: 还是, 是不是
- 唯 wéi / wěi-ism; only; alone; yesUseful words: 唯一, 唯独
- 唉 āi / àian interjection; to express realization or agreement (yes; oh; right; etc); alasUseful words: 唉姐, 唉唉
Common words for these 3 "yes" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 是 (shì) — so "yes" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
还是hái shistill (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or是不是shì bu shìis or is not (used to form yes-no questions)但是dàn shìbut; however唯一wéi yīonly; sole唯独wéi dúonly; just (i.e. it is only that...); all except; unique唯有wéi yǒuonly唉姐āi jiěgranny (dialect)唉唉āi āi(onom.) sighing voice; crying sound唉声叹气āi shēng tàn qìsighing voice, wailing breath (idiom); to heave deep sighs; to sigh in despair
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "yes".
唯 wéi / wěi — -ism; only; alone; yes
这是我们唯一的机会，一定要把握住。Zhè shì wǒ men wéi yī de jī huì, yí dìng yào bǎ wò zhù.This is our only chance; we must seize it.
Common words: 唯一 (wéi yī)、唯独 (wéi dú)、唯有 (wéi yǒu)
唉 āi / ài — an interjection; to express realization or agreement (yes; oh; right; etc); alas
唉，今天真是不顺利。Āi, jīn tiān zhēn shì bú shùn lì.Sigh, today really has not gone smoothly.
Common words: 唉姐 (āi jiě)、唉唉 (āi āi)、唉声叹气 (āi shēng tàn qì)
All 3 characters
Open 是、唯、唉 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.