いいえ
Japanese
Alternative forms
- (usually in repetition) いえ (ie)
Etymology
/ina/ → /ija/ → /ije/ → /iːe/
First cited to the late 1600s.[1]
Shift from いや (iya), from even earlier 否 (ina). While いや (iya) was broadly used in the Muromachi period, in the Edo period, いや (iya) shifted to use mainly in informal or more intimate contexts, while いいえ (īe) was used in more formal or polite contexts. いや (iya) is still in use, including broader senses not included for いいえ (īe).[1]
Pronunciation
- (Tokyo) いいえ [ìíéꜜ] (Odaka – [3])[2][3]
- IPA(key): [iːe̞]
Interjection
いいえ • (īe)
- no
- 「東京出身ですか。」「いいえ、大阪出身です。」
- “Tōkyō shusshin desu ka.” “Īe, Ōsaka shusshin desu.”
- "Are you from Tokyo?" "No, I am from Osaka."
- 「東京出身ですか。」「いいえ、大阪出身です。」
- yes (in response to negative questions), disagree
- 今日は雨だから、ピクニックには行けませんね?いいえ、雨ガッパを着れば行けます。
- Kyō wa ame da kara, pikunikku ni wa ikemasen ne? Īe, amagappa o kireba ikemasu.
- It's raining today so we can't go on a picnic? Yes, we can go, if we wear raincoats.
- 今日は雨だから、ピクニックには行けませんね?いいえ、雨ガッパを着れば行けます。
- Response to words of gratitude.
- 「ありがとうございます。」「いいえ、どういたしまして。」
- “Arigatō gozaimasu.” “Īe, dō itashimashite.”
- "Thank you." "My pleasure."
- 「あ、どうも。」「いえいえ、こちらこそ。」
- “A, dōmo.” “Ieie, kochira koso.”
- "Oh, thanks." "Not at all, I should thank you."
- 「ありがとうございます。」「いいえ、どういたしまして。」
Usage notes
May be considered overly direct. Use of simple declaratives is also possible, such as 違います (chigaimasu, “it's different / that's incorrect”).
Synonyms
- ううん (ūn)
Antonyms
- はい (hai), うん (un)
See also
- 嫌 (iya)
References
- 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
- 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- 1974, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Second Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō