hi-yah

/haɪˈjɑː/

interjection

Accompanying an attacking move in (parodies of) Eastern martial arts such as karate.

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Meanings

interjection
  1. humorousoftenAccompanying an attacking move in (parodies of) Eastern martial arts such as karate.

    I double over and hear a karate ninja sound. “Hi Yah!” A sharp chop to my neck brings me down to the floor. What just happened?

    2020, K. Anthony Wilson, Better Together
    1 more example

    She leaped down beside him and took a karate stance. “Hi-yah!” she shouted. She kicked as high as she could, first with one foot, then with the other.

    2017, Jerry Mahoney, My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Snow White, page 101
Cite this entry
APA

hi-yah. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hi-yah

MLA

“hi-yah.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hi-yah. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hi-yah,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hi-yah.

Source: hi-yah on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.