meaning of yay
What is the Difference Between Yay, Ya, Yah, and Yeah? There are at least four other words with similar spelling that are used commonly in English: yah, ya, yay, and yea. The previous term and yah are quite similar in usage, pronunciation, and meaning, expressing an affirmative. People typically use ya as a slang version of you, yay as an expression of happiness, and yea as an affirmative vote or for more archaic purposes. Yeah and Yah. Yeah is the most common of these words, and seems to have originated sometime around the early 20th century, likely in the US.