How to Say Yes and No in Chinese

There is no single word for “yes” or “no” in Chinese. The closest are 對 (duì, “right”), 是 (shì, “it is”) and 好 (hǎo, “OK”) for yes, and 不 (bù) or 沒有 (méiyǒu) for no. Most of the time you answer by repeating the verb of the question, or by choosing a short word that matches what is being asked:

You are answering	Yes	No
a verb question (吃了嗎？)	repeat the verb: 吃了	沒吃 or 還沒
”Is it X?” (是學生嗎？)	是 / 對	不是
”Do you have it?” (有嗎？)	有	沒有
an offer or invitation	好 / 好啊 (hǎo a)	不用 / 不要
”May I?” (可以嗎？)	可以 / 行	不可以 / 不行
a statement (“You’re from Canada, right?”)	對 / 對啊 (duì a)	不對

The sections below take each in turn, ending with how to decline politely in Taiwan, and how to recognise a polite no when you receive one. A note on pinyin: it shows the tone you say. 不 is bù in the dictionary and becomes bú before a fourth tone (不是 bú shì). See Mandarin tone sandhi.

Answer with the verb

The most natural “yes” is the verb from the question, and the most natural “no” is the verb with 不 or 沒 in front of it.

• 你喝咖啡嗎？ Nǐ hē kāfēi ma? (Do you drink coffee?) 喝。 Hē. / 不喝。 Bù hē.
• 你去過台灣嗎？ Nǐ qùguò Táiwān ma? (Have you been to Taiwan?) 去過。 Qùguò. / 沒去過。 Méi qùguò.
• 你吃飯了嗎？ Nǐ chīfàn le ma? (Have you eaten?) 吃了。 Chī le. / 還沒吃。 Hái méi chī.

Questions built as A-not-A, such as 你喜不喜歡？ or 有沒有？, are answered the same way: 喜歡 or 不喜歡, 有 or 沒有.

有 and 沒有 as answers

Taiwan speech often asks with 有: 你有去嗎？ (Did you go?) 你有看到嗎？ (Did you see it?) 你有吃嗎？ (Did you eat?) The answer is simply 有 (yes, I did) or 沒有 (no, I didn’t). Answering 去 or 看 here would sound like a different question. The same 有 answers 有嗎 (Do you have it?) and 你有時間嗎 (Do you have time?). The pattern is covered with 看到 in 看見 vs 看到.

Which negative to use depends on the question. 不 (bù) negates habits, wishes and the present. 沒 (méi) negates having something and things that did not happen. The page on 不 vs 沒 sets out the rule, and the table above follows it: 不喝 for “I don’t drink it”, 沒去過 for “I haven’t been”.

對 and 是: confirming

對 (duì) means “correct”, and it is the usual way to say “yes, that’s right” to a statement.

• 你是老師，對嗎？ (You’re a teacher, right?) 對。 Or 對啊 (duì a), the friendly, conversational “yes, right”.
• 對，沒錯。 (Yes, that’s right.) 沒錯 (méicuò) is listed by the dictionary as “correct, no error”.

是 (shì) means “to be” and answers questions that use 是 as the verb. 是的 (shìde) is a stronger, more formal “yes, it is”. Learners often over-use 是, because it is the first “yes” most textbooks give them. In conversation, 對 is the more flexible word, and is what you say when you agree with someone’s opinion as well as their facts.

The pair also gives you the standard negatives: 不是 (bú shì, “it isn’t so”) and 不對 (bú duì, “that’s wrong”).

好, 可以, 行: agreeing and giving permission

好 (hǎo) accepts a suggestion or a plan. 我們七點見，好嗎？ is answered 好. In Taiwan you will hear it with a particle added, as in 好啊 or 好喔 (hǎo a, hǎo ō). The particle softens the answer and adds friendliness. Taiwanese sentence-final particles covers what 啊, 喔, 啦 and 吧 add, and 吧 itself is listed by the dictionary as marking agreement, as in 好吧 (“all right then”).

可以 (kěyǐ) is permission or possibility. 我可以坐這裡嗎？ is answered 可以 or 當然可以 (dāngrán kěyǐ, “of course you can”).

行 (xíng) also means “OK, that will do”. The Ministry of Education dictionary lists it under the sense 同意、允許，多用於徵詢意見, “to agree or allow, mostly used when asking for an opinion”. In Taiwan, 不行 is everywhere, but a standalone 行 or 行不行 for “OK” sounds more northern to many speakers. People more often say 好, 可以, 沒問題 or English “OK”. Understand 行 when you hear it, and use 好 or 可以 yourself.

Two quick tips:

• 好 answers a suggestion (來吃飯吧) and 可以 answers a request for permission (我可以進來嗎).
• 當然 (dāngrán, “of course”) makes any of them warmer.

Short sounds also do the job. 嗯 (en) is the “mm-hm” of agreement, and the dictionary lists it as a sound of assent (表示答應的語氣).

不, 沒有 and the family of no

English “no” splits into several Chinese words, and each one answers a different question.

Word	Reading	Use	Example
不是	bú shì	that isn’t so	你是老師嗎？ 不是。
不對	bú duì	that’s wrong	不對，是明天。
沒有	méiyǒu	don’t have; didn’t	你有時間嗎？ 沒有。
不要	bú yào	don’t want	你要茶嗎？ 不要，謝謝。
不用	bú yòng	no need	要我幫你嗎？ 不用了。
不可以	bù kěyǐ	not allowed	這裡不可以拍照。
不行	bù xíng	can’t, won’t work	這樣不行。

The one to practise first is 不用了 (bú yòng le), “no need, thank you”. It is the polite decline for a free sample, a bag at the register, or an offer of help, and it carries no sense of rejection. Add 謝謝 for warmth: 不用了，謝謝。 It is gentler than a bare 不要. If you are in market settings, Mandarin for Taiwan’s night markets has more phrases.

What Taiwanese speakers actually do: soft refusals

A direct 不 is fine between friends. With strangers, older people, colleagues and customers, people in Taiwan usually cushion a refusal. The following forms are common, and learners hear them often.

• 不好意思 (bù hǎo yìsi) at the start: 不好意思，我今天沒辦法。 (Sorry, I can’t today.) The full story of this phrase is in sorry and please in Chinese.
• 可能不太方便 (kěnéng bú tài fāngbiàn): “it might not be so convenient”. 不方便 is listed in the dictionary as “not suitable, not convenient”.
• 我再看看 (wǒ zài kànkan) or 我考慮一下 (wǒ kǎolǜ yíxià): “I’ll have a look” or “I’ll think about it”. In a shop, these are the standard way to leave without buying.
• 再說 (zàishuō) and 改天 (gǎitiān), meaning “later” and “another day”. The Ministry of Education dictionary describes 再說 as a delaying phrase for a problem that cannot be settled now.
• 下次吧 (xiàcì ba): “next time”.

The skill is in the other direction too. When someone says 改天再約, 我再看看 or 可能不太方便, treat it as a likely no and do not press. You can always follow up lightly. If the answer matters, ask a question with two options (週六還是週日？) and listen for a concrete reply.

None of this means Taiwanese people cannot say no. 不行 and 不可以 are used constantly for rules and safety, as in 這裡不可以停車, and friends are blunt with friends. The cushioning is a matter of setting, and a learner who uses 不好意思 plus a reason will never sound rude.

Yes and no in short answers

Situation	Yes	No
Have you eaten?	吃了	還沒
Can I pay by card?	可以	不行 / 不好意思，只收現金
Do you want a bag? (要袋子嗎？)	要	不用了
Is it okay if I open the window?	好	不好意思，我有點冷

One more case catches many learners. At a table, 這裡有人坐嗎？ asks “is anyone sitting here?”, so 沒有 means the seat is free, and 有 means it is taken. Answer the verb, and the meaning follows.

Related reading

• 不 vs 沒
• Taiwanese Sentence-Final Particles
• Sorry and Please in Chinese
• How to Say Thank You in Chinese