I heard there is no Japanese word for 'no'?

Question

yet I open a Japanese phrase book and one of the first words was 'no' which they said is pronounced as 'lie'.
So what is the deal with this? Is it that in business Japanese they do not say no or is it that it is rarely used?

Answer 1

In business or formal settings it is preferable not to say no directly, because it will cause the other person to lose face or feel humiliated. So in those settings people may say something would be difficult or that they will see what they can do. For Japanese folk, that would be a clear indication that the answer is no, but without the shock of a direct "We don't want to" or "We can't." But in less formal situations people say no all the time.

Answer 2

There are several words for no, including ie (which is the most neutral) and dame (more forceful). When speaking Japanese, most people avoid making outright refusals because it's considered extremely rude. You would typically offer another suggestion or make a polite excuse (such as saying you already have plans if offered an invitation). In casual conversation, though, it's perfectly acceptable to say it.

Answer 3

Yes, there are many Japanese words for 'no', but the Japanese don't like to be rude so they hardly ever say no, they use more indirect words, like maybe or I'd rather not.(But in the Japanese equivalent of these words, not in English, of course! :) ) But they do say no sometimes and there is a Japanese word for it! But they are very indirect when saying no, and avoid saying it. Like, in a conversation, they avoid saying 'I'.
I hope my answer was at least a little bit helpful!

Answer 4

There are actually several Japanese words for no, including a forceful no (dame, pronounced da-may) and a "no, I am not" (iie, pronounced long E, long A, ee-ay). The word you have there is not correct - I think you may be misreading the first letter as an L, when it is actually an I.

Answer 5

Most scholars often omit it or wont fess up to it.

But there are lots of ways of using "no". Even though it is uaually frowned upon for doing so by the stiff necked formal traditionalists.

But business "language" also uses what ever is being used in popular culture - i.e. slang conotations.

Find what ever your feel comfortable using, and just go with the flow. The Japanese like to be hip, its in their culture.

peace
cheers babe!!!

Answer 6

That's not true for Japanese.

As you said, it's "iie". And as another answerer mentioned, there are many other words that can mean "no" in Japanese, like "dame".

On the other hand, there is no word in CHINESE that means "no". Instead, we use negations...

For example, in Chinese...

Question: Ni chi guo fan mei? = Have you eaten yet?
Answer: Hai mei chi = Have not eaten yet.
OR Hai mei you = Haven't yet.
OR Hai mei = Haven't.

Question: Ni shi jiao shou ma? = Are you a professor?
Answer: Wo bu shi = I am not.
OR Bu shi = Am not.

Statement: Na zhi mao zhen ke ai! = That cat is so cute!
Response: Yi dian dou bu ke ai = Not cute at all.

Answer 7

I don't know and I doubt it. If it were true, though, and if my boss spoke only Japanese, I'd certainly ask for a big raise.

The first answer is suspicious. After all, his girl friend couldn't say "No". She doesn't know how.

Answer 8

Its just that simple.. No in japanese is Iie...
its used commonly in the japanese language.

Answer 9

The Japanese word for ''no'' is ''iie'', pronounced ee-yeh.

Answer 10

when they say that, what they really mean is that the typical society will not come right and say, no, you can't have this or do that. they will hem and haw but not come right out and refuse.

the word 'no' does exist.. as Dame(dah may) or iiye (ee ay) depending on how it is being used.