There’s a quirk that trips up every English speaker learning Mandarin: Chinese has no single word for “yes” or “no”.
Instead, saying yes and no in Chinese means matching your answer to the question — echoing the verb, or choosing from words like 对 (duì, “right”), 是 (shì, “is”), 不 (bù, “not”) and 没有 (méiyǒu, “don’t have”). This guide covers the natural ways to say yes and no in Chinese, with the one trick that makes it click — tap any phrase to hear it, and use the flashcards to drill them.
10 ways to say yes and no in Chinese
There’s no single word for yes and no in Chinese — here are the words for both, agreeing and negating. Tap 🔊 on each.
More handy yes / no expressions
A few everyday extras worth knowing.
当然 (dāngrán) is an enthusiastic “yes, of course”; 算了 (suàn le) is a gentle “no / never mind” that quietly closes a topic.
Chinese has no real “yes” or “no”
Unlike English, Mandarin usually doesn’t answer with a single “yes” or “no” — instead, you echo the verb. Asked 你去吗? (“Are you going?”), you reply 去 (qù — “go” = yes) or 不去 (bú qù — “not go” = no). Asked 是你吗? (“Is it you?”), you say 是 or 不是.
For agreeing or disagreeing in general, 对 (duì — “correct”) and 不对 (bú duì — “wrong”) work well — but the real trick is listening for the verb and bouncing it back. Plenty of languages answer this way; Mandarin is one of them.
The fastest way to sound natural is to stop translating “yes” and “no”. Listen for the verb in the question and reuse it — 去? 去! (“Going? Going!”), 有吗? 没有 (“Got any? Nope”). Once that clicks, answering in Chinese feels effortless.
Saying yes & no — which word?
| Situation | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Confirming a fact | 对 | “That’s right” |
| Answering an “is” question | 是 / 不是 | Matches the verb 是 |
| Agreeing to do something | 好 / 行 | “Okay / sure” |
| Don’t have / didn’t | 没有 | Negates 有 & the past |
| Refusing firmly | 不行 | “No, that won’t work” |
Common mistakes to avoid
The little slips that trip up beginners saying yes and no in Chinese — and the natural fix for each.
✕Hunting for a single “yes”
There isn’t one — echo the verb, or use 对 / 是 to match the question.
✕Using 是 for every “yes”
是 means “it is” — it answers 是/“are” questions, not “shall we?” or “do you want?” (use 好 / 要).
✕Saying 不有 for “don’t have”
有 is negated with 没, never 不 — it’s 没有 (méiyǒu), not “不有”.
✕Using 不 for “didn’t”
The past and “haven’t” take 没 — 没去 (didn’t go), not 不去 (won’t / don’t go).
Quick check
1. “Are you going?” (你去吗?) — the natural “yes” is…
2. To say “don’t have”, you negate 有 with…
3. Which means “of course”?
FAQs
Say more than yes or no — have the whole conversation
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