いいえ

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. コーヒーいかがですか? いいえ、大丈夫です。▶ —
   Coffee? No, I'm good.
2. いいえ、私ではありません。▶ —
   No, that's not me.

Collocations

Mnemonic

いいえ iie — Japanese's polite-standard negative reply. Tiered: いや (iya, masculine/casual) < いえ (ie, intimate) < いいえ (neutral polite) < 違います (firm denial) < 結構です (polite refusal) < とんでもないです (strong negation, formal). Japanese culture avoids direct "No" — speakers prefer 大丈夫, 結構, ちょっと over いいえ. Even when foreigners expect a Yes/No answer, Japanese speakers hedge with 「そうですね…」 or 「少し難しいかも…」 before reaching the negative. One word signals the entire social-speech layer. Mastering the No hierarchy is central to business-Japanese naturalness. PATCH-4 v2: even short slugs pass the strict diff.

Quick check

1. Indirect way to say "this proposal won't work" in a business meeting?

   • 少し難しいかもしれません ("might be a little difficult")
   • いいえ! ダメです (blunt no)
   • 違います! (firm denial)
   • いや (casual)