Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| いいえ | iie | [iːe̞] (narrow) | polite |
| いえ | ie | polite | |
| ううん | u'un | [m̩ː˦˨˦] (narrow) [ɯ̟̃ᵝː˦˨˦] (narrow) |
informal |
| 違う | chigau | [t͡ɕiɡa̠ɯ̟] (narrow) [ta̠ɡa̠ɯ̟] (narrow) |
|
| いや | iya | [ija̠] (narrow) |
To soften a refusal and express more politeness, you can add すみませんが before いいえ. To gracefully decline an invitation or a request, the formal phrase 申し訳ありませんが is used.
Which one should you use?
While いいえ is a direct negation of a statement, 違う is often used to mean 'that's not right' or 'you are mistaken'. Additionally, いや can function as a casual way to say 'no', but it can also serve as an interjection to express hesitation or to begin a sentence that contradicts a previous point.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
いいえ and いえ are polite forms. The standard polite form is いいえ, while ううん is used in casual speech with friends or family. いや is a straightforward way to express no in informal conversations.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
iie
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often over-use いいえ to mean 'no' in every context. In Japanese, it is often more natural to use 違う (it's different/wrong) or simply omit the word and use a negative verb form.
Did you know?
- The word いいえ can actually be a polite way to say 'you are welcome' when someone thanks you, effectively saying 'no, it was nothing'.
- The word いえ is a homophone that can mean 'no' or 'house' depending on the pitch and context.
- The word 違う (chigau), commonly used to mean 'no' or 'that's wrong', literally translates to 'to cross paths' or 'to deviate from the way'.
Examples in context
- いや、全然。No, not at all.This example is useful for using the informal いや.Tatoeba #1838410 by small_snow, translation #880484 by CK
- 違うってば。I said no.This example is useful for using the form 違う.Tatoeba #3488053 by arnab, translation #2405884 by CK
- いえ、結構です。No, thank you.This example is useful for using the polite いえ.Tatoeba #229316 by bunbuku, translation #31390 by CK
- お手伝いをしてもらえませんか？
いいえ、すみませんが、今はできません。Would you help me?
No, I'm sorry, but I can't right now. - 明日の会議に参加していただけませんか？
申し訳ありませんが、私は予定がありまして参加できません。Could you join the meeting tomorrow?
I'm sorry, but I have a prior engagement and cannot attend. - 映画に行かない？
いや、今日はちょっと疲れているんだ。Do you want to go to the movies?
No, I'm a bit tired today. - 明日のパーティーに来てくれる？
うーん、ごめん、予定があるんだ。Can you come to the party tomorrow?
Hmm, sorry, but I have other plans. - 232 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki asks Kenta if he is a student.
- 美咲 Misaki健太さんは学生ですか？Kenta-san wa gakusei desu ka?Kenta, are you a student?
- 健太 Kentaいいえ、違います。Iie, chigaimasu.No, I am not.
- 美咲 Misakiそうですか。Sou desu ka.I see.
- 健太 Kenta会社員です。Kaishain desu.I am an office worker.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “no” translations and entries いいえ, いえ, ううん, 違う, いや, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries いいえ, いえ, 違う, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
