いや

い

や

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

usually written using kana alone

A casual interjection used to express refusal, denial, or disagreement. Often used in informal conversation.

「もう食たべた？」「いや、まだ。」
"Have you eaten yet?" "No, not yet."
いや、それは違ちがうと思おもう。
No, I think that's wrong.

See all 65 example sentences ›

Expressions

否いや応おうなしにwhether one likes it or not; inevitably; unavoidably
いやでもwhether one likes it or not; willy-nilly
否いやが応おうでもwhether one likes it or not; willy-nilly
否いやが応おうにもwhether one likes it or not; willy-nilly
否いやでも応おうでもwhether one likes it or not; willy-nilly
否いやも応おうもなくwilly-nilly; whether one likes it or not

Kanji

否negate, no, noes

Related words

ううん
ううん is an even more casual, often childish or feminine way to say no, whereas いや sounds neutral in casual speech.

Opposites

うんN4
うん is the casual 'yes' that pairs with いや's casual 'no' in everyday informal conversation.

Politeness

いいえpolite 丁寧語N5
いや is a casual, informal way to say no, while いいえ is the polite, formal counterpart used with strangers or superiors.

Word family

否いやむ
detest; dislike; loathe
否いや応おう
yes or no; agreement or refusal
いやいや
no; no no; not at all
いやいやながら
reluctantly; unwillingly
否いや応おうなく
whether one likes it or not; without choice; willy-nilly
否いや応おうなし
compulsory; unavoidable; without choice

Written forms

いやUsage100%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 否 is rare and literary.
否いや
Kanji form is uncommon in modern usage; mainly seen in formal or literary contexts.

Etymology

The exact derivation is uncertain; it is a native Japanese interjection expressing negation or refusal.