How to Say ‘No, not at all.’ in Japanese
いえいえ、そんなことないです。
ie ie sonna koto nai desu
[ee-EH ee-EH sonna koh-toh nah-ee dess]
🇯🇵 In Japan: This modest denial is the classic Japanese reply to a compliment, and it isn't rejecting you. Don't insist repeatedly; a smile and moving on is the normal flow.
Phrase Breakdown
いえいえ、
ie ie
no, no
A soft, modest way to say no, often used when receiving compliments. Say it lightly: 'ie-ie'.
いえいえ、大丈夫です。
No, no, it's fine.
Words in this phrase
いえ
ie
[ee-EH]
no
A polite way to say no or correct someone.
いえ、違います。
No, that's wrong.
いえ
ie
[ee-EH]
no
A polite way to say no or correct someone.
いえ、違います。
No, that's wrong.
そんなことないです。
sonna koto nai desu
not at all
A humble denial of praise. In Japanese culture it is polite to downplay compliments.
いいえ、そんなことないですよ。
No, that's not true at all.
Words in this phrase
そんな
sonna
[sonna]
that kind of
Used to describe something specific.
そんな顔が好きだ。
I like that kind of face.
こと
koto
[koh-toh]
thing / matter
Refers to an event, matter, or thing.
大事なことを話しました。
We talked about an important matter.
ない
nai
[nah-ee]
not
Negative ending attached to verbs.
今日は行かないです。
I am not going today.
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.
少し伺いたいです。
I would like to ask a little.
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