Japanese · Joy & Triumph
よっしゃ
yossha
YOSH-shah · /joɕɕa/
Alright! / Let's go! / Here we go!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"(pumped-up 'alright')"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The self-psyching victory/readiness grunt — you got the win, or you're about to swing for it. "Yossha!" with a fist-pump. The tidier "yoshi" is the calm "okay, good"; "yossha" is the loud, hyped cousin. Locker rooms and clutch moments.
Heard in the wild
よっしゃ、行くぞ!
Alright — let's go!
Where it lands
Nationwide
Quick answers
- What does "よっしゃ" mean?
- In Japanese, "よっしゃ" means "Alright! / Let's go! / Here we go!". Literally it's "(pumped-up 'alright')". The self-psyching victory/readiness grunt — you got the win, or you're about to swing for it. "Yossha!" with a fist-pump. The tidier "yoshi" is the calm "okay, good"; "yossha" is the loud, hyped cousin. Locker rooms and clutch moments.
- Is "よっしゃ" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "よっしゃ"?
- Say it "YOSH-shah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: joɕɕa.
Related in Japanese
やった yatta YAHT-tah Yes! / I did it! / We won! 最高 saikō sigh-KOH The best! / awesome / peak やばい yabai yah-BYE Insane / crazy / no way — good OR bad, from context すげえ sugee (sugoi) soo-GEH Awesome! / Whoa! / Incredible! うまい umai / umee oo-MYE Delicious! / So good! / Nailed it! 気持ちいい kimochii kee-mo-CHEE Feels so good / that's the stuff
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Hell yes".
- French Ça déchire ! That rocks! / That's awesome!
- German Geil! Awesome! / Sick! / Hell yes!
- Greek ώπα Oops! / Hey, watch it! / Let's go! — NOT mainly the plate-smashing tourist cheer.
- Italian Grande! Nice one! / You legend! / Way to go!
- Korean 아싸! Yes! / score! — the fist-pump syllables.
- Polish zajebisty Fucking awesome / badass — the great slang-POSITIVE of the jebać family.
- Portuguese Que massa! How cool! / Awesome!
- Russian Офигенно! Freaking awesome! / Amazing!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.