ううん
ūn[m̩ː˦˨˦]
The English phrase "no informally" is expressed in Japanese as ううん (ūn).
ううん is a casual and relaxed way of saying no, commonly used in daily conversations. While ううん is a common way to express a negative response, other informal options include いや, which is a straightforward way of saying no in an informal setting and ダメ, which means "no" or "not allowed" and is used to refuse something informally.
Which one should you use?
ううん is the casual counterpart to the standard or polite word いいえ. It is also important to distinguish ううん from うん, which is a very similar sounding word meaning "yes" in casual speech.
How do you pronounce it?
ūn
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse ううん (no) with うん (yes), which is a very similar sounding word for 'yes' in casual speech.
Did you know?
- In many Japanese social contexts, people avoid using ううん or any direct 'no' to avoid conflict, preferring vague phrases like ちょっと which means 'a bit' but implies a refusal.
- In casual speech, Japanese people often signify ううん by shaking their head or slightly tilting it, but they may also use a small hand gesture similar to a 'cutting' motion to emphasize the refusal.
- While ううん means 'no', a long, trailing うーん with a different intonation functions as a filler word like 'hmm' or 'let me see' when someone is thinking.
Examples in context
- いや、今日はちょっと無理だなNo, I can't do it today.
- ううん、まだ見てないよNo, I haven't seen it yet.
- ダメ、それは私の一番好きなセーターだからNo, that's my favorite sweater.
- ううん、まだ食べてない。uun, mada tabetenai.No, I haven't eaten yet.
- ううん、大丈夫だよ。uun, daijoubu da yo.No, I'm fine.
- ううん、それは知らない。uun, sore wa shiranai.No, I don't know that.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are talking about dinner.
- 蓮 Renお腹空いた？Onaka suita?Are you hungry?
- 結衣 Yuiううん、まだ大丈夫。Uun, mada daijoubu.No, I'm still okay.
- 蓮 Renじゃあ、後で食べようか。Jaa, ato de tabeyou ka.Then, shall we eat later?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、そうしよう。Un, sou shiyou.Yeah, let's do that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ううん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
