ノーコメント
nōkomento[no̞ːko̞mẽ̞nto̞]
In Japanese, "no comment" is expressed as ノーコメント (nōkomento). Wiktionary also lists 何も言うことはありません (nani mo iu koto wa arimasen).
Meaning: "official" refusal to relay any further information (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ノーコメント | nōkomento | [no̞ːko̞mẽ̞nto̞] (narrow) |
| 何も言うことはありません | nani mo iu koto wa arimasen |
These phrases are used to signal an official refusal to provide further information.
Which one should you use?
The katakana loanword ノーコメント is used in casual or media-driven contexts, often sounding somewhat blunt or clipped. In contrast, 何も言うことはありません is a more formal and grammatically complete way to express that one has no comment.
How do you pronounce it?
nōkomento
When do people say it?
The phrase 黙秘します is used primarily in legal contexts.
Did you know?
- In Japanese media culture, a politician's use of ノーコメント is often interpreted by the public as a tacit admission of guilt or a 'yes' in disguise.
- If a politician wants to avoid a question without being as blunt as ノーコメント, they might use the phrase 検討させていただきます (kentō sasete itadakimasu), which literally means 'I will consider it'.
- In Japanese media, ノーコメント can sometimes be used ironically or playfully to dodge a lighthearted question, whereas in English it almost always signals a serious or defensive stance.
Examples in context
- ノーコメントです。No comment.Tatoeba #10738147 by KK_kaku_, translation #873323 by U2FS
- トムはノーコメントだった。Tom made no comment.Tatoeba #11162326 by small_snow, translation #1093223 by CK
- その件については、ノーコメントでお願いします。Sono ken ni tsuite wa, nōkomento de onegaishimasu.Regarding that matter, no comment, please.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are talking about a secret project at work.
- 結衣 Yui新しいプロジェクトについてどう思う？Atarashii purojekuto ni tsuite dō omou?What do you think about the new project?
- 健太 Kentaそれはまだ秘密だから、ノーコメントだよ。Sore wa mada himitsu dakara, nōkomento dayo.That's still a secret, so no comment.
- 結衣 Yui気になるけど、仕方ないね。Kininaru kedo, shikatanai ne.I'm curious, but I guess it can't be helped.
- 健太 Kentaうん、発表まで待ってて。Un, happyō made mattete.Yeah, just wait until the announcement.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “no comment” translations and entries ノーコメント, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
