With an estimated 7,000 languages spoken across the world, learning how to say ‘yes’ in different countries can quickly become a tricky task.
But where does the word “ano” come from, and why is it confusing so many Brits?
In what language does ‘ano’ mean yes?
“Ano” means yes in Czech.
The word is pronounced “ah-noh”.
Czech is largely spoken in the Czech republic – the language has a number of words for no, each to be used in different situations, including “ne”, “odmítnutí”, and “žádný”.
Why are people confused about the meaning of ‘ano’
The word “ano” is particularly confusing for English language speakers as it sounds like our word “no”, but in fact means “yes” in Czech.
People have also become confused as if you type “ano means yes in what language” into google, the first answer that comes up is “Danish”.
However, this is incorrect. The Danish word for yes is “ja”.
To confuse matters further, “ano” means “year” in Spanish, coming from the Latin “anno”.
How do you say yes in other languages?
In English, yes stems from the Old English word “gese” which roughly translates as “be it”.
Languages with Germanic roots have similar words for yes.
In German and Danish and Swedish, yes is ‘ja’, while in French, it’s ‘oui’.
In Turkish, the word for yes is ‘Evet’ and in Arabic, the word for yes is pronounced ‘na’am’.
Here are ten ways to say yes in different languages:
- Portuguese: Sim
- Italian: Si
- Polish: Tak
- Mandarin: Shi
- Japanese: Hai
- Urdu: Dschii haan
- Welsh: Ie
- Hungarian: Igen
- Hindi: Haan