🇯🇵 Japanese phrases
How to say “No” in Japanese
いいえ
iie
neutral
Direct refusals feel blunt in Japanese, so いいえ is used more for correcting facts or modestly deflecting praise. To decline an offer, people say ちょっと… ("it's a bit…") or 大丈夫です ("I'm fine").
Other ways to say it
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| ううん | uun | nah | Casual, with friends and family |
| いえ | ie | no | Shorter, softer, often when deflecting thanks or compliments |
| 大丈夫です | daijōbu desu | I'm fine (no thanks) | Politely declining an offer, e.g. a bag at a shop |
In a sentence
いいえ、日本人じゃありません。
Iie, Nihonjin ja arimasen.
No, I'm not Japanese.
More Japanese phrases
HelloこんにちはGoodbyeさようならThank youありがとうございますPleaseお願いしますSorryすみませんExcuse meすみませんYesはいGood morningおはようございますGood eveningこんばんはGood nightおやすみなさいHow are you?お元気ですか？My name is…私は…ですNice to meet youはじめましてI love you好きだよI miss you会いたいHappy birthdayお誕生日おめでとうございますCheers!乾杯！Enjoy your mealいただきますWelcomeようこそCongratulationsおめでとうございますHappy New YearあけましておめでとうございますI don't understandわかりませんDo you speak English?英語を話せますか？How much is it?いくらですか？Where is the toilet?トイレはどこですか？Help!助けて！BeautifulきれいFriend友達See you laterまたね
“No” in other languages
🇬🇪 Georgianარაara🇪🇸 SpanishNoNOH🇫🇷 FrenchNonNOHN🇩🇪 GermanNeinnine🇮🇹 ItalianNoNOH🇧🇷 Brazilian PortugueseNãoNOWNG🇷🇺 RussianНетnet🇨🇳 Mandarin Chinese不bù🇰🇷 Korean아니요aniyo🇸🇦 Arabicلاla🇦🇲 ArmenianՈչvoch🇦🇿 AzerbaijaniXeyrkheyr🇮🇷 Persianنهna🇹🇭 Thaiไม่ใช่mai chai🇻🇳 VietnameseKhôngkhohng🇺🇦 UkrainianНіni🇷🇸 SerbianНеne🇬🇷 GreekΌχιóhi🇮🇱 Hebrewלאlo