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いやいや Japanese meaning | Kotomora

いやいや

い

や

い

や

○

Meanings

1

unwillingly; reluctantly; grudgingly

usually written using kana alone

Describes doing something with reluctance or lack of enthusiasm, often with a sense of doing it only because one has to.

彼かれはいやいや

ながら

宿しゅく

題だい

を

始はじ

め

た

。

He reluctantly started his homework.

いやいや引ひき受うけた仕し事ごとだったが、やりがいがあった。

It was a job I took on grudgingly, but it turned out to be rewarding.

2

shaking one's head in refusal (like a child)

usually written using kana alone

Typically used in the pattern いやいやをする, describing the action of a child shaking their head to refuse something.

子こ供どもが野や菜さいを食たべたくなくて、いやいやをした。
The child didn't want to eat the vegetables and shook their head in refusal.

Usage patterns

嫌々いやいやながら〜するto do something all the while reluctantly
彼かれは嫌いや々いやながら手伝てつだってくれた。
He helped me, though only reluctantly.
〈人ひと〉がいやいやをするfor someone (typically a child) to shake their head in refusal
弟おとうとはいやいやをして薬くすりを飲のまなかった。
My little brother shook his head and refused to take the medicine.
嫌々返事いやいやへんじをするto give a reply reluctantly
子こ供どもは嫌いや々いや返へん事じをした。
The child answered reluctantly.

Kanji

嫌dislike, detest, hate
厭get tired of, satiate, bore

Related words

渋しぶ々しぶN1sense 1
渋々 also means 'reluctantly' but suggests a mature, resigned acceptance, while 嫌々 often carries a childish or petulant nuance.
仕し方かたなく sense 1
仕方なく emphasizes doing something because there is no other choice, whereas 嫌々 focuses on the emotional reluctance felt while doing it.
不ふ承しょう不ぶ承しょう sense 1
不承不承 is a more literary/formal way to say 'reluctantly', close in meaning to 嫌々 but less colloquial.
気きが進すすまないN2
嫌々 describes doing something unwillingly with visible reluctance, while 気が進まない is the milder, more internal feeling of not being inclined, without necessarily showing outward displeasure.

Opposites

喜よろこんで sense 1
喜んで means 'willingly/gladly', the direct opposite of doing something 嫌々 (reluctantly).
気き持もちよく
嫌々 describes doing something reluctantly or unwillingly, the opposite attitude to acting 気持ちよく.
好このんで
いやいや means doing something reluctantly and against one's wishes, the opposite of 好んで, which means doing something because one likes or prefers it.

Written forms

いやいやUsage26%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 嫌々, 嫌嫌 are less common, and 厭々, 厭厭 are rare.
嫌いや々いやUsage34%
Kanji form; less common than kana.
イヤイヤUsage33%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or in casual writing.
嫌いや嫌いやUsage

Etymology

Reduplication of いや (disagreeable, unpleasant), emphasizing the feeling of reluctance. The noun sense derives from the adverbial use, describing the physical action of refusal.

7%

Rare kanji form.

厭いや々いや

rarely-used kanji form

Rarely used kanji form.

厭いや厭いや

rarely-used kanji form

Rarely used kanji form.