When I responded to my host dad with “Hai hai,” why did the host mom say “HAI IKKAI!”? What’s wrong with saying “Hai Hai” to a host parent?

13 comments

1. It can be seen as too casual or offhand. Like saying “yeah, yeah” in English can have an air of “yeah, whatever”. She’s probably trying to let you know that you should speak more respectfully to them as your elders and hosts.

2. Saying はい twice means you mock the person you responded to. Like ridiculing the person and the thing he has asked for.

3. It sounds dismissive, like “yeah whatever man”.

4. Nothing’s wrong with it, depending on context. I’d say /u/camilma94 gave you the most succinct and accurate response. You say “years ago” so I suppose this has no immediacy and you may not completely remember context. As far as it goes it sounds like host mom was taking a pretty direct approach.

   Edit： 23 downvotes? You people don’t know what you’re talking about. Depending on how it’s said はい,はい or even はい、はい、はい is completely benign. *Depending on how it is said.* I am not contesting that at times it can sound rude. Source：Lived in Japan as an adult 22 years.

   And frankly *はい一回!* is a pretty censorious way of approaching a correction, in that ungrammatical way some Japanese people take when speaking to non-Japanese (see the term *ダメ* dropped solo as a declarative). But that’s a different conversation.

5. Hai hai makes it sound like you’re annoyed or impatient with what they are saying.

6. It’s like “Yeah, yeah, blah, blah…”

   It’s dismissive and can be taken as disrespectful.

7. I don’t know if this is part of your question, but she was saying, “Say はい once, only!”

8. As everyone else explained, saying hai hai is like “yeah yeah fine whatever” so she’s saying “only say hai once”

9. Yeah that’s really rude.

10. Oohhh she told you to say hai only once

11. you should try getting more raw japanese input so you can get a better idea of what things mean in context. this is the kind of thing that textbooks and classes will not teach you and yet a couple hours of untranslated novels, dramas, japanese youtubers even manga will. hai hai is, like every else said, used when people/characters are being intentionally dismissive and rude.

12. Her correction was pretty harsh considering you were probably inexperienced at the time, but if it’s any comfort, I was texting a Japanese friend of mine a few months ago and he gave me the same advice to avoid saying it twice.

    Said his mom used to say the exact same thing to him as a kid sternly 💀

13. Hai hai means “yes yes”. It may sound like you’re annoyed or agitated. That’s why she said “hai ikkai “ which means “yes once “ which means she wants you to say it once.