How to Say ‘No, there is one child.’ in Japanese
いえ、子どもが一人います。
ie kodomo ga hitori i masu
[ee-EH koh-DOH-moh ga hee-toh-ree i mahss]
💬 Usage Tip: いえ is a softer, shortened いいえ "no", and it's the one people actually use in conversation. Here it gently corrects the assumption that the group is adults only.
Phrase Breakdown
いえ、子どもが
ie kodomo ga
no, a child…
いえ (ie) is a soft 'no'. It is joined here to 子どもが (kodomo ga, 'a child'). Pause briefly after いえ.
いえ、子どもが来ます。
No, a child is coming.
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.
子ども
kodomo
[koh-DOH-moh]
child; children
A common word for a young person; used when telling a restaurant that kids are in the group.
子どもは二人です。
There are two children.
が
ga
[ga]
subject marker
A particle marking the subject of the sentence.
興味がある分野を教えてください。
Please tell me the field you are interested in.
一人います。
hitori i masu
there is one (person)
一人 (hitori) means 'one person'. います shows that a person exists. Say it as hi-to-ri i-ma-su.
妹が一人います。
I have one younger sister.
Words in this phrase
一人
hitori
[hee-toh-ree]
one person
Refers to one person. In 一人分, it indicates a single person's portion.
スープは一人分ずつよそいます。
We serve the soup in one-person portions.
い
i
[i]
be; exist
Part of 〜ている, showing an ongoing action or continuing state.
お待ちし てい ます。
I am waiting.
ます
masu
[mahss]
polite ending
A polite ending attached to verbs in formal speech.
まだありますか。
Are there still some available?
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