also: いえいえ
interjection
no; no no; not at all
A strong or emphatic denial, often used to refuse something or correct a misunderstanding. The variant いえいえ is softer and more polite.
「もう食べた？」「いやいや、まだだよ。」
"Did you eat already?" "No, no, not yet."
いやいや
No, no, that's not true at all.
「手伝いましょうか？」「いえいえ、大丈夫です。」
"Shall I help you?" "No, no, I'm fine."
Alternate kanji form; even less common than 否々.
Reduplication of the interjection いや (no), with the いえいえ variant likely arising from a sound shift for politeness or emphasis.