Thread:User talk:CodeCat/Affirmatives/reply (10)

Yes, both and  are basically akin to English  (per Usage note bullet # 2), meaning something more like "yep, I hear you, I'm listening," than any real solid "I agree with you, yes in the affirmative." This is, I think, partly why you'll often hear はい and in combination as はい、そうです (hai, sō desu) when the speaker wants to be clear that 1) they're listening, and 2) they agree.