Ways to Say No in Japanese

Japanese expressions translated as “no” include an array of more specific responses. The word a character uses reveals what kind of refusal they mean and how they feel about it.

いいえ: A Clear Contradiction

いいえ rejects the content of a question or statement.

Cocoa tries to show off her ability to recognize the three types of coffee Chino made for her.

ココア:

「この上品(じょうひん)な香(かお)り！ これがブルーマウンテンかー」

“What a refined aroma! So this is Blue Mountain, huh?”

チノ:

「いいえコロンビアです」

“No, that's Columbian.”

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いえ is a shortened form.

On her way home from grocery shopping, Urushi sees Ayumu from shogi club at school.

うるし:

「なんだお前(まえ)か　奇遇(きぐう)だな」

“Oh, it's you. What a coincidence.”

歩(あゆむ):

「いえ　奇遇(きぐう)じゃないです」

“No, it's not a coincidence.”

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The repeated いえいえ often dismisses praise or thanks and can mean “not at all”. In that use, the speaker rejects the need for gratitude or denies the compliment.

ううん: Casual No

ううん is a casual negative response used among friends, family, and other familiar characters. It corresponds to “no”, “nope”, or “uh-uh”. Its affirmative counterpart is うん.

Sakura’s older brother and his friend show up for her school’s sports day event. During their picnic lunch, Sakura’s father runs up to the group and apologizes for missing the cheerleading event Sakura participated in. Tomoyo assures him she recorded it on video, and Yukito says he took photographs.

藤隆(ふじたか):

「ごめんね　さくらさん」

“I'm sorry, Sakura.”

桜(さくら):

「ううん！」

“No, no!”

「走(はし)ってきてくれてうれしい！！」

“I'm so glad you came running over!!”

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Do not confuse ううん with うーん, which represents thought or uncertainty. Spellings such as うーうん, んーん, and ううんっ can stretch or sharpen the delivery without changing the negative answer.

いや: Rejection or Correction

いや can reject another character’s claim, interrupt a line of thought, or introduce a correction. Depending on the delivery, translations include “no”, “wait”, “well”, and “I mean”.

Due to concern about his sister’s ribbon, which seals away her need to attack people for their blood, Kenji takes every opportunity he can to check up on her in at school.

キョーコ:

「休(やす)み時間(じかん)ごとに来(こ)ないでって言(い)ってるでしょー、そんなに心配(しんぱい)しなくても大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)だって！」

“I'm telling you, you don't need to check up on me every break period. I'll be fine even without you worrying about me!”

ケンジ:

「いや…　リボンが緩(ゆる)んだりしてないかと。」

“No, I'm just checking whether your ribbon's come loose.”

キョーコ:

「それくらい自分(じぶん)でやるよ！」

“I can handle that much on my own!”

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Lengthened いやあ may work as an emotional interjection rather than a negative answer.

Conan and Ran end up with Kogoro investigating a kidnapping case. As Kogoro questions the butler, Conan steps in with his own questions. The butler asks who the child is.

小五郎(こごろ):

「いやー、わたしの知(し)り合(あ)いの子(こ)でして…」

“Well, it's the child of an acquaintance, and...”

「蘭(らん)！！　ちゃんと面倒(めんどう)見(み)てろ！！」

“Ran! Properly look after him!”

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Repeated いやいや can reject an idea with emphasis. The kanji form 嫌々(いやいや) instead means “reluctantly” or “unwillingly”.

Urushi plays three shogi games at once against the other members of the shogi club. After she wins all three, she worries she has hurt their confidence right before the upcoming tournament.

うるし:

「いやいや！！みんなよくやってたぞ」

“No, no! You guys did great!”

「それにただの練習(れんしゅう)だ」

“Besides, it's just practice.”

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嫌だ and やだ: I Don’t Want That

嫌(いや)だ expresses dislike. English dialogue may reduce it to “no”, but the character is saying that the proposed situation is unwelcome.

The shorter やだ is a casual spoken contraction of いやだ.

Rina asks Asuka Jr. if she can eat lunch with him.

アスカ Jr.:

「やだね」

“No way.”

「女(おんな)と食(く)うとおかずとっかえなきゃなんねーんだもん」

“If I eat with a girl, I'd have to swap side dishes.”

リナ:

「そんなことしないわよ！」

“I wouldn't do that!”

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ダメ: No Good

ダメ, also written だめ or 駄目(だめ), judges something as unacceptable.

Conan needs to investigate a bomb set to go off on the train, but being a child restricts his ability to move around and gather information. He decides he needs to reveal his true self to Ran, but when he addresses her as simply “Ran”, she corrects him to add “ねえちゃん” to her name.

蘭(らん):

「ダメよ。年上(としうえ)の人(ひと)呼(よ)び捨(す)てにしちゃー。」

“That's no good. You shouldn't call older people by their first name alone.”

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The prohibition pattern 〜てはダメ marks an action as unacceptable. In casual speech, 〜ては contracts to 〜ちゃ, while 〜では contracts to 〜じゃ.

Standing back to back, Sacchan is slightly taller than Yui. Yui questions whether Sacchan is standing tip-toed, which Sacchan denies, but Yui looks and sees that Sacchan is.

さっちゃん:

「だって背(せ)のびしちゃダメなルールって聞(き)いてないし」

“You say that, but I didn't hear a rule against tiptoes.”

結衣(ゆい):

「背(せ)のびしてもいいルールなんてないもん」

“There's no way there'd be a rule allowing tiptoes!”

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Other prohibitions include 〜てはいけない, 禁止(きんし), and a dictionary-form verb followed by な. The last form gives a strong negative command. This な differs from sentence-ending な used for reflection or emphasis.

大丈夫: I’m Fine

大丈夫(だいじょうぶ) says that someone or something is all right. It turns down an offer when the speaker means they will be fine without the offered item or help.

After school, Ninako notices Ren sleeping a few seats away on the train. When Ren wakes and rushes for his stop, he knocks Ninako’s phone from her hand. The phone hits the floor, and the strap charm breaks. Ren misses his exit while apologizing and offers to replace the charm.

仁奈子(になこ):

「だっ　大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)ですっ」

“I—it's all right.”

「ケータイは無事(ぶじ)だし！」

“Since my cell phone is safe!”

「それにこのストラップただのジュースのおまけだし」

“Furthermore, this strap is just a juice prize.”

「しかももうだいぶ前(まえ)〜〜〜〜のやつで古(ふる)いから」

“Plus, it's from way back when, so it's old.”

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結構: That’s Enough

結構(けっこう) can mean that something is sufficient or acceptable, and may be used to decline an offer or tell someone that enough has been said or done. Tone separates a polite 結構(けっこう)です from a dismissive もう結構(けっこう)だ. 結構(けっこう) can also mean “quite”, so it does not signal refusal in every appearance.

いい: I’m Good

いい can decline something in the sense of “I’m good” or “things are fine as they are”. It can also grant permission or accept a suggestion. もういい means that the speaker has had enough and may be translated as “that’s enough”, “never mind”, or “forget it”.

Ayumu heavily compliments Urushi on her looks wearing a sweater that’s a little too big. He quietly congratulates himself, and when Urushi questions him on it, Ayumu explains that he’s regretted his inability to find the words to compliment her outfit during their New Year’s shrine visit.

歩(あゆむ):

「今(いま)なら初詣(はつもうで)の時(とき)のもうまく言(い)えます。どうですか」

“I can properly say it now for the New Year's shrine visit. How about it?”

うるし:

「い　いいよ。　今(いま)さら…！！」

“It's okay. It's too late!”

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違う: That’s Wrong

違(ちが)う rejects an incorrect claim. It means “that’s wrong” or “that’s not it” rather than refusing an offer.

そうじゃない: That’s Not It

そうじゃない rejects the conclusion another character has reached.

無理: Impossible or Too Much

無理(むり) describes something as impossible.

On a summer day, Hori and her friends in class can’t ignore the heat.

由紀(ゆき):

「外(そと)の暑(あつ)さってなんなの…？　クーラーないと死(し)んじゃうって…っ」

“What's with this heat outside...? I'd totally die without the AC...”

「この日差(ひざ)しのなか体育(たいいく)とか絶対(ぜったい)無理(むり)だわ…」

“There's no way I can do PE in this blazing sun...”

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いらない: I Don’t Need It

いらない, the negative form of 要(い)る, rejects an item or offer as unnecessary.

できない: I Can’t

できない says that a character cannot do something.

断る: Explicit Refusal

断(ことわ)る states “I refuse” and sounds stronger and more deliberate than an ordinary negative answer.