Has your friend just asked you something, and you want to respond with “yeah”, but want to use a shorter word? Or do you, in general, want a cool, hip way to say “yeah”? If this is the case, “yuh” is for you.
This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The phrase “yuh” is a slang word for “yeah”. It is a way to say “yeah” with a little more attitude or just in a way that sounds cooler. In Jamaica yuh means “you”, however, unless you are speaking to a person from the Caribbean, that meaning won’t be understood.
The same is true for British English. In many parts of the UK, Yuh is a pronoun that also means you. If you use the term with someone from the UK, they will assume you mean “you” instead of “yeah”.
“Yuh” is not typically used to replace the word “yes”, as “yes” is normally used in more formal settings as “yeah”. “Yuh” is very casual, and extremely informal. In some instances, it can be used as an expression of excitement. In other contexts, it can be used as a sarcastic response to someone’s question or comment.
In those instances, instead of just being short for “yeah”, the term may mean “yeah, duh”. Again, it usually is said with more attitude than “yeah”, so knowing when to use the term is important.
More information can be found in the video (here).
Example Usage
“Yuh, I already said that”.
“Do you want to go out today? Yuh, obviously I want to, that’s why I asked”.
“Yuh, I can do the dishes tonight”.
“Yuh, I’ll go with you”.
“You got a new job? Yuh, that’s so exciting!”
Origin
The term “yuh” was popularized by famous singer Ariana Grande, who uses the term in a large number of her songs. As a result, the phrase was adopted by many of her fans. It has grown to become much more popular as more people have started using it, though it is commonly only used by teenagers and young adults.
Other musical artists (mainly rap or hip-hop artists) have also started using it in their songs (like Doja Cat and Ryan Oakes, for example).
Phrases Similar to Yuh
- “Yer”, which is another slang term for “yes”
- Yep/sure/etc.
- “Aye”, which is another way to say “yes”
- “Fr”, which means “for real”
Phrases Opposite to Yuh
- No/nope/nah/etc.
- No way
- No thanks
What is the Correct Saying?
- Yuh – “yeah”
- Yuh – “you”
Ways People May Incorrectly Say Yuh
“Yuh” is used as another term for “yeah”, or agreeing to something someone has said. It may also be used to emphasize an exciting comment. Because of this, context is important. Saying “yuh” when you really mean “no” would be an incorrect way to use it. Saying, “yuh, I don’t want to” or “yuh, I won’t do that” would be incorrect, as it makes it seem as though you are agreeing to whatever the person may have said, but then you go on to decline it.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Yuh
- If you want to agree with someone, you can say, “yuh, I agree with you” or “yuh, I know”.
- If you are responding to something someone has asked you, you may just replace “yeah” with “yuh”. So you would say, “yuh, I can do that”.
- If you want to use it as a sarcastic remark to something someone has said, you may say, “yuh, obviously” or “yuh, I already know that”.
- If you want to use the phrase as a response to something exciting, you could say, “yuh, that’s really cool” or “yuh, that’s exciting”.
Yuh – You examples:
- Hey yuh! Get over here and finish this project.
- I don’t really know what yuh mean when you say those things.
- Stop always trying to one-up me. I am so tired of competing with yuh.
- There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. Yuh always pick the wrong one.