Ways to say it
| Armenian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ոչ | očʻ | /vot͡ʃʰ/ (Eastern Armenian) /vot͡ʃ/ (Western Armenian) |
formal |
| չէ | čʻē | /t͡ʃʰe/ (Eastern Armenian) /t͡ʃe/ (Western Armenian) |
informal |
ոչ is a particle used to show disagreement or negation. It can also function as a noun meaning a negating expression. In Armenian, ոչ is often used in conjunction with other negative particles (like չ) to create double negatives, which is grammatically required for negation in many contexts. When you want to say 'no' in the sense of 'not any' or 'none' before a noun, you use the phrase ոչ մի.
Which one should you use?
While ոչ is a pure negation particle, the informal չէ is actually a form of the verb 'to be' (is not), which is why it is used as the standard way to say 'no' in speech.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ոչ is the formal form of 'no'. չէ is the informal form.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is očʻ. The IPA is /votʃʰ/. The /v/ sound is like the [v] in 'van' and the /tʃʰ/ sound is like the [ch] in 'chin'.
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, you may hear the informal չէ used as a tag question at the end of a sentence to mean 'right?' or 'isn't it?'
- The formal word for 'no', ոչ, is a linguistic cousin to the Greek word όχι (ochi).
- In some dialects, the distinction between the formal ոչ and the informal չէ is so sharp that using ոչ in a casual setting can sound unnaturally stiff or robotic.
Examples in context
- Ոչ ոք անմեղ չէ։No one is innocent.This sentence shows how to use ոչ in a negative context.Tatoeba #13361665 by Proxima5, translation #2891748 by CK
- Ոչ ոք չի ժպտում։No one's smiling.Tatoeba #13346290 by Proxima5, translation #6335642 by CK
- Ոչ ոք չէր օգնում։No one was helping.Tatoeba #13343360 by Proxima5, translation #2891762 by CK
- 128 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nane asks Tigran if he has finished the report.
- Նանե NaneՏիգրան, դու ավարտեցի՞ր զեկույցը:Tigran, du avartetsir zekuytsy?Tigran, did you finish the report?
- Տիգրան TigranՈչ, դեռ աշխատում եմ դրա վրա:Voch, der ashkhatum em dra vra:No, I am still working on it.
- Նանե NaneԿարո՞ղ ես այն վերջացնել մինչև վաղը:Karogh es ayn verchatsnel minchev vaghy?Can you finish it by tomorrow?
- Տիգրան TigranԱյո, կփորձեմ անել այդպես:Ayo, kpordzem anel aydpes:Yes, I will try to do so.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “no” translations and entries ոչ, չէ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ոչ, չէ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
