How to Say ‘That's not true.’ in Japanese
そんなことないです。
sonna koto nai desu
[sonna koh-toh nah-ee dess]
💬 Usage Tip: そんなこと means "such a thing", so the phrase is literally "There's no such thing." It's a fixed way to wave off praise, not a real disagreement.
Phrase Breakdown
そんなこと
sonna koto
such a thing
'そんな' means 'such' and 'こと' means 'thing'. Say the 'n' in 'sonna' long: 'son-na'.
そんなこと、知りませんでした。
I didn't know such a thing.
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.
ないです。
nai desu
is not (true)
The polite form of 'ない' (not exist). Together with the first part, it is a humble reply to praise: 'Not at all.'
時間がないです。
I don't have time.
Words in this phrase
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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