‘也是’ (yě shì) literally combines ‘也’ (yě), meaning ‘also’ or ‘too’, and ‘是’ (shì), meaning ‘is’ or ‘to be’. Together, it functions as a conjunction meaning ‘is also’ or ‘is too’, used to affirm that something shares a quality, identity, or status with something previously mentioned. It emphasizes equivalence or inclusion — for example, confirming that a person belongs to the same group, has the same role, or possesses the same characteristic as another.

This phrase appears frequently in everyday spoken and written Chinese, especially when adding information or making comparisons. It typically follows the subject and precedes a noun, adjective, or predicate noun — never a verb phrase alone (e.g., you wouldn’t say ‘他也是去’; instead, use ‘他也去’). Unlike English, where ‘also’ can appear in various positions, ‘也是’ must directly modify the copula ‘是’ and cannot stand alone as an adverb.