いいえ Is Lame

Textbooks teach you that Japanese people use “いいえ” for “no”. But in real life people rarely say “いいえ”. They would say either “いや” or “いえ”. When speaking casually, most of the people say “いや”. Yet, it seems like books fail to introduce this super common word that Japanese people use all the time. As a result, many Japanese learners don't even know how to say “no” just like Japanese people say it. Furthermore, “いいえ” is hard to pronounce. Don't waste your breath on “いいえ”.

[@NelleShadowblue]

I guess a player answering yes or no in a video game is the most serious formal situation, as that's the only time I have ever seen the word いいえ.

[@nickpatella1525]

I would say it's a direct translation of the "Yes/No" prompts in English.

[@astridplus]

Writing that addresses a nonspecific reader tends to use the more formal register, which is where you also see things like あなた or ～ております and that kind of thing used, when you wouldn't really do that when talking to another person.

[@Jeremy_Fisher]

I always thought of it as part of an official yes/no pair. (はい/いいえ) but in spoken colloquial Japanese, it's a little awkward and stiff to use.It's fine for documents, settings, and stuff like that though.

[@shirankedo-ib8uv]

"Iie" and "Ie" are words used by mature people. "Iya" and "Uun" sound childish and rustic, and should only be used when you are ok with looking like an idiot.

[@fangoo_e.a.b.]

@@shirankedo-ib8uv It's not about looking like an idiot, it's just a lot more common to say いや and ううん, even if it's not as "proper". When listening to Japanese people talk, I've never heard them say いいえ, and rarely いえ, so if you want to stick out less, the former two are the best options.

[@ththththththththth]

- ドイツ語は話せますか？ - Ja.

[@xymaryai8283]

exactly what i was thinking, i might never correctly interpret someone saying いや because in english its so close to "yeah"

[@cybunny25]

​@@xymaryai8283 combine it with a head nod/shake to help a bit with clarity

[@e_3261]

Thought the Same 😂 Hatte vor einigen Monaten mein Kumpel so geantwortet (いや) und hatte vergessen das er kein Japanisch kann und hatte gesagt hinzugefügt meinte ne (No short cut of nein english 9) fand er schon bisle lustig das japanisch und deutsch Ähnlichkeiten haben 😂

[@daggercatz7297]

hahaha, thats my main problem with this word lol

[@hedwigk.228]

Hahaha that's exactly what I was thinking Similar problem in Korean aswell In Korean ne = yes / in German ne = no XD

[@williansnobre]

The longer いいえ gives time for the rest of the words to load

[@Rairosu]

いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいえ！ XD!

[@azul1964]

"You want to die?" "Yah" "As you wish -"

[@HonsHon]

This cracked me up In all seriousness, there you would most definitely want to use いいえ

[@N95j]

lol

[@thefoxmoonlight]

@@HonsHon but then it sounds like you are ecstatic to die. likeee "eeeeyeeeeea" like that crack kid with the basketball

[@TheVortexBuLL]

@@HonsHonSounds like a longer version of “yeah” lol Do you want to die? いいえ (yeaaa..)

[@KKokichi]

Damn

[@Mighteyes]

saying や this way has always been funny to me because in my own native language (Swedish) the exact same pronunciation is a very casual way of saying "yes"

[@MaartenT]

If you elongate the a-sound you get yes in Dutch as well and I'm pretty sure German is pretty close as well (and I suppose it might be similar in Norwegian or Danish too?).

[@Schlohmotion]

Correct. Germans use the word "Ja" for yes. Pronounced like americans say "Ya" instead of yes sometimes. Neighbourly greetings from germany

[@bltzcstrnx]

いや also kind of strange to me. This is because "iya," read exactly the same, means yes.

[@Roz9l]

Same🙃 In Ukrainian it literally means "i"

[@Schlohmotion]

@@Roz9lThe more Я know :D

[@AngelsAndButterflies]

I'm so happy that いや can be used in formal situations as well 🥳

[@zaloskog]

Right? I thought it was just an informal thing, so relieved

[@cpkeyes1823]

Was in jp class teacher asked how to say thank you to compliments. I said いやいや全然 the people around me laughed, i thought i was saying the rude thing because いや meant dislike. I was just parroting what i learned in anime

[@plasmodius9449]

​@@cpkeyes1823lol wat that's so rude and dumb laughing at someone, especially when you're right

[@ccurtonizea2883]

​@@plasmodius9449i think they laughed because its used in anime alot, or from what i understand from his comment

[@largemistake1833]

@@plasmodius9449they would’ve laughed because it’s funny that instead of thanking someone for a compliment in japanese you deny it

[@adventureboy444]

As a speedrunner, this is very helpful

[@Spiriax]

Saying あざす instead of ありがとうございます gives the biggest time saves

[@roughlyunderscore]

You win this comment section

[@mayacold8263]

Real

[@Gankoittetsu]

​@@Spiriaxtrue 🤣

[@fumi_]

New shortcut discovered 😂

[@Arexsis]

I greatly appreciate your comitment to teaching people how to sound natural with Japanese. It's been so hard to find resources that don't sound completely sanitized and academic. Blending in is way more important to me than sounding 100% correct at all times. Thanks, Kaname-Sensei

[@saitodosan9377]

For real. This is the only channel I've found that teaches these type of things. The rest of them it's like you might as well just pick up a Genki textbook instead.

[@151monka]

Fr, Kaname is amazing

[@martuuk8964]

@@saitodosan9377 if one isn’t living in Japan already, learning academic Japanese (i.e. from Genki) first is always preferable. Its Japanese authors construct it the way they do for a reason. Casual Japanese should be learned as a companion and through immersion from multiple sources including KZbin and popular media. The two sources of learning are not opposed, they are complementary.

[@ca678.4]

⁠@@martuuk8964you worded this perfectly… if you only know how to sound casual good luck trying to get a job where the setting requires you to be formal. Def agree learning how to sound like everyone else (like slang) comes after actually learning the language. You’ll probably sound even more natural that way, imo

[@levi7581]

​@@martuuk8964 my teacher would disagree and say that it's preferable to start at the lowest level of politness just like japanese children start at home and then slowly as you become more and more proficient slowly add politness into your speaking and only when you have a good grasp of that tackle keigo

[@PatGunn]

I wish it didn't sound like "yeah"

[@gristen]

it really does lol

[@josephkanowitz6875]

ב''ה, I worked with a native speaker and was too busy to even pick this up. Possible explanation for how "yeah no" entered English? Where in English the initial yeah is for "I heard you."

[@paolacresti6432]

Yah

[@pauljordan4452]

I was eight years old and even my granddad's sister found it funny that iie sounded like yeah.

[@bmac4]

Honestly, English in my part of the world feels this way sometimes but in the opposite direction. We often don't say "no" as a response because it feels kinda sharp. Usually we say "nah", "no thanks"/"no thank you", "not really", or something else that either tries to make it more polite or otherwise less absolute than the blunt "no". "No" feels like the answer to questions when you're being interrogated.

[@tohaason]

In some places in the world you have to carefully construct your question so that it can be answered with "yes" even if it's a negative reply.

[@mckendrick7672]

I have a theory that this is in part a relic of the older English four form yes/no system as well. English used to have "Yea" and "Nay" which were used for positively worded questions that we today typically pronounce (in political contexts) something like "Yey" and "Ney" but probably originally would have been something more like "Yeah" and "Nai", the latter of which could easily be further clipped to modern "Nah". "Yes" and "No" on the other hand were intended for responding to negatively worded question - "Are you *not* doing...?"

[@peachparee7647]

​@@mckendrick7672 I'm gonna use nay as a positive no from now on 🫡

[@rawkhawk414]

@@mckendrick7672 The most interesting part about all this is that it's not really taught much anymore--and there are plenty of grown and educated adults whose native language is English who don't know how to answer negatively-worded questions. Or worse, some people think they're completely incorrect or bad English. Style guides recommend against them. I worried about this forever (not seriously) because I'm interested in languages. I read about the yay/nay distinction a long time ago and it blew my mind because I knew people who did this without thinking about it. And I was just really pleased to know there was a new layer of nuance that could be baked into things and that I could feel confident when I felt doubt about this. Of course, doesn't change the fact that for most people if I said "Don't you like salad?" and you replied "Yes", even I'd understand that as you liking salad. But then, for myself and many others, if I instead SLIGHTLY changed the wording to "Do you not like salad?" Then saying "Yes" confirms that you do not like salad. But don't is a contraction of do not. Lol. Language is fun. But yeah, English classes should explain this history briefly when explaining how to answer binary questions. Pretty sure most of us just do it by tone and body language, or by skipping straight to a clarification.

[@KumoKumiko]

just want to say, kudos to the acting skills for performing some of these sentences. it's not strictly necessary to getting the point across, but the tone and inflection differentiating, say, the mother character and the child character, was really immersive and believeable.

[@unduloid]

I found out that glaring at people menacingly usually does the trick too.

[@Prince.Hamlet]

Lol

[@kphaxx]

Ya

[@aeluzarii]

That's a universal trick, would work anywhere

[@Rairosu]

And if that fails..... T-Pose!

[@thedestiny2863]

My duolingo didn't pay off

[@maxamaxa194]

Duolingo sucks. Renshuu is better for japanese

[@Misa-Aname]

@@maxamaxa194I love renshuu

[@MattLeIdjut]

This explains that mystery I've had when a streamer would scream ”やだ! やだ! ” and I would be left to wonder why the translation would simply be "no," just like when they would simply say "いえ.” I wondered why both were interpreted as no, and what sort of difference there was between them (I refused to believe there was no difference). Now I know that they are the same word, but だ adds a small amount of specificity like "I don't want/want to do that." Love these videos!

[@Nomyriad]

I feel like いやだ/やだ/嫌だ has a more "that's disgusting!" vibe but it's definitely the same as saying "nooo!" in a dramatic way

[@kymbbm]

​@@Nomyriad this interpretation is too dramatic. Iyada is used in a way more casual way, way more frequently than you'd say "it's disgusting" lol

[@Nomyriad]

@@kymbbm oh I see! I probably misinterpreted the tone when I've heard it xD

[@josephkanowitz6875]

​@@Nomyriad ב''ה, I've just wandered into this, but seems somewhere between "nuh-uh," as can be either vernacular or childish, and "no way" for refusal?

[@PikkuProgram]

Kaname-san behaving like a bratty kid was not on my Saturday Bingo Card, but that's the lovely thing about life, its full of surprises. Also incredible use of 余裕, sneaky bastard

[@drakequevedo]

Could you elaborate on the use of those Kanji please?

[@PikkuProgram]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/naOUeqSrjLF_h9k@@drakequevedo

[@HopeUnquenchable]

⁠@@drakequevedo​​⁠​⁠ @1:16, he says, 僕最近あまり時間に余裕がないんで, meaning “Because (んで=ので) I (ぼく) don’t have (がない) much time (あまりじかん, used negatively) lately (さいきん).” Some translations of 余裕(よゆう) are: surplus, room, space, time, allowance, flexibility and scope. 時間(じかん)に余裕がある means, “I have time to spare,” or “I have plenty of time.” 時間に余裕がない literally means, “There’s no surplus in my time,” or “I don’t have any time to spare.” So に余裕 isn’t really necessary in the sentence, 僕最近あまり時間に余裕がないんで, if all you want to convey is, “Because I don’t have much time, lately,” but it’s a good addition if indeed you have no time to spare 🤓

[@drakequevedo]

@@HopeUnquenchable Thanks for the explanation!

[@Teratrain]

i think the most important question here is what everyone will do with the time we save on all these mora we can omit

[@lisicarunes8720]

More time to study kanji

[@pigmentpeddler5811]

​@@lisicarunes8720 you sicko

[@olivermunkholm1]

im thinking of going on a holiday maybe

[@spacenaves]

fritter and waste it in an offhand way

[@Prince.Hamlet]

I just went to med school with my extra time. All done.

[@jukama7671]

Oh no, that's confusing. "Ja" means "Yes" in German. Its one of the few words I sometimes say while speaking English. Instead of "yes" a "Ja" slips out. If that also happens in japanese, it would be so confusing for everyone. And I am not experienced enough in Japanese to explain the mistake. :O

[@jellifygirl]

It reminds me of habitually saying ie/iie in english, and sounding like you're saying "yeah" instead! Or saying "je" in an exasperated or tired way like some european languages have, but actually sounding like you're weirdly chill to all the other english speakers 😭

[@kelliatlarge]

To be honest, it's ok to say "ja" in English. It's more common to say "yeah" than "yes" except in formal/polite situations. It's not pronounced exactly the same but everyone should understand you.

[@hayesmaker64]

@kelliatlarge except in japan where they'd think you're saying no

[@tohaason]

In Japanese you can very often leave out yes/no entirely. "Do you have a point card?" (they always ask this in supermarkets). "ないです" works fine, no や (or いいえ or いえ) needed. In general, just the verb or the verb in negative form is sufficient, for a lot of question situations.

[@blackjacktrial]

Or just make a gesture indicating disagreement with the question. (Shakes head, thumb down, frown etc.)

[@Jokertyf]

Probably the best way to describe the middle use case succinctly is to say "throwing a tantrum", especially for younger kids

[@clay2889]

I really wish my Sensei told me this stuff in my college level japanese course. The way japanese is actually spoken outside of classrooms seems so much more chill

[@mirasdiary]

Omg i so need this video. Whenever i went to japan myself and my brother would say いいえ and people would laugh at us whenever we said it. We were always so confused because that’s what it said to say online. Thank you!!!!

[@jacla666]

I doubt they would laugh at you because you used the word iie.. perhaps you guys did pikachu cosplay or smth?

[@mirasdiary]

@@jacla666 we were as normal as we could be. Some people were impressed by us saying it. At my Fuji my hotel owner asked me in Japanese if i speak Japanese and i said いいえ and she was like :o wow that sounds like Japanese to me! It was more of the younger crowd who laughed 🥺

[@maiy8786]

I've had the same experience. Speaking Japanese to people and being met with laughter ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@whiterabbit8243]

@@maiy8786 😪

[@xXEdXx17]

So in the first place, wtf be taught the word いいえ？

[@Savoritas]

Now thats confusing because in german, "Ja" - pronounced the same way as いや, means yes. haha

[@Aaa-vp6ug]

“Do you know English, IN AMERICA WE SP-“ “Iya.” “THEN SPEAK IT!” “Sunimasen, Ego wa wakarimasen.” “What’s this about Greek mythology, SPEAK. ENGLISH!” “Chotto! CHOTTO!” “YOU DARE INSULT MY BIRD?!”

[@tomppeli.]

I could imagine いや initially, so very much in the beginning, being confusing to a German, Swede, etc. because the opposite is pronounced the same way in those languages.

[@KittyKatalina]

For me (Norwegian), it helps if the い is emphasized. That way, it's more clear that the meaning is inverted.

[@Montragon29]

It always seemed to me a bit weird when learning japanese, about the use of "iie", that it was not easy to roll off the tongue in a casual conversation...Recently, after re-watching some Kurosawa sensei's films (The Hidden Castle, Ran, The Seven Samurai etc) i noticed how they used "iya" more than "iie". Thanks for clarifying something so small but also so basic about the use of "no"

[@Kyaro8888Cari]

4:47 🤣 That pained expression....

[@RT-qd8yl]

If Kaname was an actor I'd watch anything he acted in 🤣😭

[@silver3418]

I also wanted to thank you for your contribution to the japanese-learning community. :) I really like your choice of topics, the rich examples and the insights into the language. Keep up the good work and take care! :)

[@dawnwatching6382]

I noticed the 余裕 in one of the examples there

[@pawelowi7528]

It's really interesting how when you learn a new word, it suddenly starts appearing everywhere because your brain will now automatically register it when you see/hear it. One time I learned a new word in a video game and encountered it the same day in a completely different context and knew immediately what it was.

[@giuseppeagresta1425]

​@@pawelowi7528 Yes, it's the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon I think Btw in this case it's not just that, Kaname gradually increases the vocabulary to match the stuff he has taught already

[@relic4948]

another reason why kaname sensei best sensei 🫡

[@schrodingerscat3912]

Last night, I was studying a grammar pattern and a girl said it just as I was reading it 偶然でした@@pawelowi7528

[@ThymeWalk]

I always find it interesting that 違う is used in a lot of places an english speaker might say "no". I'm also curious about うん and ううん. The textbooks teach this as an informal "yes" and "no" but they seem more just like grunts to me, like how we might say "uh huh" and "uh uh" for "yes" and "no" in english. But maybe it's different, I dont know

[@blasianking4827]

It's pitch accent and length that distinguishes them. A short うん is a yes, while an extended ううん with a "falling then rising" pitch becomes a no. This is definitely more casual, though you can say うん during conversation to acknowledge what someone is saying, not just as a reply

[@RiptideST]

Nuh uh

[@FangzV]

In addition to the wonderful explanations that get to the heart of what learners actually want to know, your acting in the example cases is always delightful lol

[@Blackberryfae]

I naturally picked up on this quickly without realizing it, because never once in my life have I heard いいえ outside of motherly figures in anime. I grew up in a Japanese religion so I heard Japanese a LOT, even if I didn't understand it. But I never actually *thought* about it or knew it properly, just somewhere subconsciously.

[@Thedennati]

You grew up in Buddhism or Shintoism?

[@Thedennati]

You grew up in Buddhism or Shintoism?

[@Blackberryfae]

@@Thedennati Buddhism, specifically Nichiren Buddhism.

[@coffee-is-power]

4:08 In portuguese we call it "fazer birra" when a child starts crying or getting aggressive because his parents forced to do something like stopping playing video games or because he didn't get a toy he wanted

[@hldmyhndPX]

salve

[@juanno7]

in spanish is "berrinche"

[@mirimiri3300]

かなめさんは日本語と英語の違いを深く理解しており、単なる英語・日本語の解説動画と違い、それぞれの話者特有の問題に焦点を当てて解説してくださっているため、日本人の私の英語学習目的としてもこの上なく参考になっております。 Keep making nice videos!

[@noodlesdorkenson4674]

I find it funny that in situations where there’s a lot of switching between English and Japanese (with a sibling or something) you’re not sure wether someone said yes or no because いやand yeah sound really similar 😂

[@Kyaro8888Cari]

0:40 even in polite form Ahhhhh, thank you! I was wondering if that was okay to say, in polite speech. ありがとございます！ As an adult who is learning Japanese on my own, I think it's important to learn the polite speech first. This is because: if I encounter anyone who might be a potential friend in the future (and I'm speaking Japanese with them), then we would naturally start at the beginning of the relationship with polite speech, and then later probably switch to something more casual. But, I am also practicing casual speech when talking to my cat, or talking to myself about what I'm doing at the moment (using Japanese language). So it's good to know I can use いや for all of the above.

[@golem7492]

Your cat speaks Japanese? If so, it may be better to be formal, else it may think of you as ungracious.

[@Kyaro8888Cari]

hehehe :D@@golem7492 haha, he actually hears me speak three languages to him, although he doesn't realize it!

[@ThePersistentKoala]

PSA: 違う (ちがう) is also used to say “no” in casual conversation. Literally translated it means “I differ” or “it differs (to me)”

[@gristen]

i usually see it translated as "thats wrong"

[@BazzeGaming]

⁠@@gristenIt is often translatedas wrong in English but it doesn’t mean ”wrong”. It means different, as whatever was stated or asked is different from what it really is.

[@gristen]

@@BazzeGaming ah i see, that makes sense

[@wolfgirl223]

Thank you for articulating this, its bothered me for a very long time. Any translation or teaching tool only ever seems to mention いいえ, but watching Japanese media for years i've clearly heard いや. its validating to hear it laid out so clearly like this.

[@Slimebiter]

your videos are my favorite because of the entertaining, but realistic dialogues. They sound like they would come from different people from different parts of life, so we get an example of how these people would talk. Thank you!!

[@ruijikisu]

bonus points, because いや sounds exactly like "yes" in german

[@coffee-is-power]

in portuguese too

[@poplix2704]

and dutch, but that makes sense since german and dutch are very similar

[@Cyfrik]

And in Swedish too, but we have a lot of German loanwords, so that's not a big surprise.

[@excalibro8365]

@@poplix2704 And Indonesian, and that makes sense since you guys colonized us for hundreds of years so some words are bound to be borrowed from Dutch.

[@gabrielleeliseo6062]

OR yes in English in certain regions. I use it as such.

[@susanma4899]

I've been feeling kinda depressed about working in Japan lately, but you've made me feel excited about Japanese again. Thank you!!

[@another-niko-pfp-holder]

3:52 that voice acting was perfect

[@orcasrising]

I never clicked on a video so fast. Lots of moras will now be spared.

[@Elisabetta-cx8bs]

Dear Kaname-sensei, thank you so much for this clarifying video. Yesterday I watched “Late Autumn” by Ozu and I was a little puzzled by the pervasive use of いえ and や. The contexts were clear enough to understand that those sounds meant ‘no’, but honestly I wondered whether it had something to do with a ‘local’ pronounce (hard to believe, as the action takes place in Yokohama, not in a rural area). I am so sorry that most of your videos are still too advanced for me! In change of the many tips I was nonetheless able to catch, I would tell you that the plural of ‘mora’ (a Latin word) is neither‘mora’ again, nor ‘moras’, but ‘morae’ ( pronounce ae exactly like え, but a little closed). ありがとうございました and best regards from Italy

[@tedlee7821]

I really appreciate these videos; they're really helpful when learning to understand common japanese speech, especially thanks to the well-thought out examples.

[@tombuster]

1:26 is the quintessential corner store experience! I really enjoy the examples you give in videos - they help me place new concepts in context in my mind.

[@FortEscaper]

When I first started learning Japanese I was taught I had to pronounce all moras properly in いいえ and not say いえ because that would mean house and I'd look really dumb if I said house instead of no.

[@atomu27]

Fr that sounds so silly now like so much of japanese is informed by context people will understand whether you mean house or no

[@RiptideST]

A bit backwards anyway, making the longer sound the more common word

[@emancebo13]

Needless to say, Tanaka did not get that job… great content, with great examples. Thanks for the lessons!

[@Roz9l]

What a coincidence, just today I was looking up how to correctly write いいえ because I forgot whether I should put two い or え there. And now I know that it's enough to say いえ or いや. Great video as usual

[@prosaic.7944]

"Stop using it'!" "いいえ, I don't think I will."

[@fundaez1250]

Thank you for making language learning more comfortable for so many people!

[@DoubleSpy]

Wonderful video. This is an essential video for learning Japanese in modern times. Japanese seems to have become more colloquial and slang than ever before and can cause new learners multiple "huh?" moments.

[@five-toedslothbear4051]

Thanks for the useful video! I was wondering what people were saying when I watch anime, and this explains it. In class, however, I think I'm going to use いいえ because my sensei is older and insists on careful pronunciation. I really appreciate your videos. They're clear and easy to understand, and the example sentences add a little listening and reading practice.

[@RocoPwnage]

Thank you for videos like this. It's things that no textbook will ever tell you, and you'll only find out when talking in person. I experienced the same thing in Germany, when it turned out nobody ever says "Guten Morgen/Tag", everyone just says "Hallo".

[@user-gp3qv8jn3g]

lol its literally the same as using the word Hello instead of saying Good Morning when speaking english to somebody else, there is 0 difference in utility. Most people use Guten Morgen from 4-11AM regardless of the circumstances, I heavily doubt that the word Hallo isn't taught in textbooks

[@jellifygirl]

​​​@@user-gp3qv8jn3gBut in German exercises, a lot of the particular ways you use vocabulary ends up being kind of rare in actual conversation. We learn hallo and guten morgen, and we know how to tell someone our lieblingsfach, but if all you do is follow the textbook and the teacher, you'll still sound a little weird with how you use the vocabulary given. If you're a primary english speaker (or whatever language for that matter) I'm sure you're able to tell if someone is solely using their english classes to speak and hasn't gained the natural experience yet. It's the same principle.

[@driammadram]

These videos are gold, I have learned so much in just a few videos! I really value these nuanced explanations because "direct" translations are often so simplistic and miss out important connotations. I also love how many examples you give. Most people give 2-3 example sentences and leave it at that but your wide variety of situations really helps cement it in your brain and gets you used to the sound. Truly, thank you and I hope to keep learning from you!

[@DixtunBabyAngel]

I love the conversational skits you do! They're so helpful!

[@rianthreeden]

this helped me a lot! didn't know about the いや　or just shorting it to いえ or even just pronouncing the "や" part. Thank you!!

[@MichaelErskine]

Only this morning I was wondering about the line in Anpanman no Marchi ”そんなのはいやだ” kind of meaning "this situation: I can't accept it". This video being released today is perfect timing!

[@Aeroxima]

1:52 When a Japanese person says it, sure you would naturally hear that "silent い". I think it's easy to miss or skip as a native English speaker, who is very used to using "yeah" without hearing a silent い as much, if at all. It's similar with です. People are taught "it's de-su", and then "no actually it's dess". You can easily say "dess" without it having that same trailing う sound from the す. Small difference, but understanding can help pronunciation. It's still a す, it's not really just "dess". I think a native Japanese speaker might have some difficulty just saying "dess" without the trailing う sound, and even for them it might be hard to distinguish. It might be something too small and difficult to teach early into the language though, and most won't notice a difference probably.

[@CyberKnightX21]

I like how a quick example turns into an entire dialogue storyline. Lol

[@bruhnomento7079]

Hey kaname, firstly I want to thank you for these amazing videos you make, they're really helpful!, secondly I wonder if you can make a video talking about kanji fluency, I've heard about it, but I don't really understand what it is, nor how it works, so it would be really helpful to hear from a Japanese person directly what that is like, and again, thank you so much for making these videos!

[@Hiram_1993]

Wow. Great info. Thanks so much!

[@angst_]

My favorite part of this video is the dialog and the fact that it's clearly spoken and recorded! It's a little fast for me, but it's good to hear discussions with simpler vocabulary. (plus I can watch the video slowed down.)

[@bknight045]

Very interesting take as someone who is casually learning I like your Videos. So like similar when we use in Filipino the word no or "Hindi" can be shorten with "Di" then followed by the rest of the sentence.

[@lionroo]

From the myriad of native speakers who do videos for learners and foreigners, I thank you for your clarity and speed. Slowing things down while teaching makes me click the 1.5 speed, but your explanations are crystal clear, speedy, and to the point. Your examples are true to life and you didn't slow those down either trying to give grammar lessons on the examples. Your style of presentation and charisma are amazing. Thank you very much for your contributions and I look forward to reviewing more of your uploads.

[@69k_gold]

Thank God KZbin is trying out this underviewed video recommendations. I'm finding golds like this

[@misterRDF]

Fantastic video, these kinds of colloquialisms are invaluable. Thanks kindly!

[@WhoTheLoL]

Kaname先生、your example conversations are as amazing as ever. I love those videos. Keep them coming!

[@tohaason]

These videos are just fabulous. I should really start to binge-listen to your videos all day, instead of whatever else I'm doing. Comprehensible, compelling input (and very easy to listen to). (another thing is that やだ sounds exactly like a common word in my own language which means "yes that's true alright", which did create some.. issues.. inter-spouse wise)

[@DiRECs]

I'm just happy this isn't another one of the hundreds of videos on KZbin that try to convince you that Japanese avoid saying "no" directly at all costs. "いや" and "いえ" are direct enough for me.

[@DRGUS7]

I have to congratulate you for the quality of the video and the format of dialogue you use. Top Tier.

[@JacksonBLee]

The way you use example conversations is very helpful, thank you!

[@phasomyr]

I'm glad you made this video cause my current study methods have only taught me ”いいえ” so far, and I always thought that was just too drawn out to be comfortable.

[@nino4242]

All those examples were extremely helpful. All this just for one word. Your commitment is amazing.

[@Cunningstunts23]

Me, an American: can I have you number? Japanese girl: ya! Me: 😎😎😎

[@carrotpotato0]

This ambient white sound mixed with small silence gaps and your well organizate speech, leaves a nice impression

[@lyralyon]

I didn't learn to say "iya" until I studied abroad- the very first time I had someone tell me I was "pera pera" was right when I started using it instead of "iie".

[@Trassel242]

Thank you for telling me about this, it’s one of those really useful things that most language classes simply don’t teach you. It’s funny to me as a Swedish person, because saying it informally just happens to sound like the Swedish way to informally say yes. I’m still struggling a lot with learning Japanese, I’d like to be able to have simple conversations and maybe read a little, basically like a smart child rather than an adult. I’m learning this for fun and not to work. I’d love to talk to Japanese knitters, I have seen their work and it’s amazing!

[@arther8159]

Very helpful and insightful video as always. Thank you!

[@NiGHTSaturn]

Thank you! I love seeing your videos while I’m travelling. It helps a lot, and I can try the next day 😊😊

[@tyroneslothrop1243]

I studied Japanese way back when in college. I also spent a year in Japan. At the end of stay, and I could fool some foreigners into thinking that I was conversational in a few subject matter areas. I could also read the opening pages of the Japanese constitution but essentially I sucked. I had memorized lots of phrases that one could say, but wouldn’t.

[@rons3634]

いや is one of those words I've been hearing and understanding but never realized I was hearing it.

[@excalibro8365]

This video is very reassuring. Back when I was attending a Nihongo Gakkou, none of my teachers ever mentioned this, even though I've never hear any Japanese person says いいえ in any actual conversation they have in real life, even in a situation where they are "supposed" to be polite to me, like bank clerks or waitresses. Not to mention the fact that to me, it always feels unnatural to pronounce.

[@naumbtothepaine0]

Thanks a lot for sharing this, it's very helpful and entertaining as well to see your facial expression during the example conversation

[@nanakadog]

0:58の「いや」は感動を表す「いや」とも解釈できると思います。「いやー」のように伸ばすとより感動のニュアンスとして解釈されやすくなります。 「いや」は場合によっては失礼または冷淡にとられるので、「いえ」を使う方が無難だと思います。または「いやいや」「いえいえ」のように重ねて言うと和らいだ表現になると思います。それから、この動画では短くはっきり「いえ」「いや」を言っている例文が多いですが、同じ「いえ」でも言い方による幅がかなりあります。声のトーンの違いに注目しながら色んな場面での「いえ」を聞いてみて下さい。 「や」まで短縮するとかなりくだけた表現で使う場面を選んだ方が良いと思います。仕事の上司や学校の先生に対して使ったら訂正されるかもしれません。あと言い方にもよりますが幼稚な表現に思われることもあります。「やだ」は特にそうですね。それは動画の例文からもよく分かりますね。 最後に「いいえ」はあまり使われないという話ですが、確かに教科書的な言い方の「いいえ」は確かに固いですしそんなに使われないですが、相手の疑問や提案などに対してきっぱり否定する時には「いいえ」は便利です。また、言い方によっては柔らかい印象の「いいえ」もありますよ。これは文字では伝えづらいんですが例えば「いいえこちらこそ」の「いいえ」は感謝を伝えるニュアンスなので柔らかいです。実際にはそういう「いいえ」が結構な頻度で使われていることに着目してください。

[@justinnamilee]

A great lecture as always!

[@ananas_anna]

Your Japanese is so clear and easy to understand for a beginner like me, I’m gonna check out more of your vids!

[@tokenslol]

i have yet to actually start learning, im just watching those for fun but i can't get over how many words i recognize and how much easier it is to wrap my head around the structure of some of these phrases than i thought, cool stuff

[@TheQuietOne937]

These videos really help me. You're awesome for explaining and giving examples like this.

[@NeonFraction]

You’ve saved me so many moras brother thank you

[@thecamillarose9806]

You are the best!!! i've been trying to find a creator who also put the japanese subtitles with the english ones! Amazing for visual learners

[@JinKee]

I love the examples, you’re a phenomenal voice actor

[@dons9213]

Just came across your channel. Your teaching style is fantastic.

[@psdelport8893]

Your channel is really great! This is real Japanese that I can use at work and in daily life here in Tokyo.

[@finalninju6021]

i was actually wondering about this xD thank you kaname :)

[@DavidArcher_]

That's great. Saying no is usually a great way to speedrun a conversation already but if I can say it even faster...

[@luizabbueno]

the sentences and dialogue you use as example are very good thank you

[@LostConjugate]

Just want to say how much I appreciate your videos. It is easy to watch and really like videos on youtube but forget to say anything. You always have far more fans than you can imagine as a good content creator.

[@dr.koupop880]

You're way of doing your videos is just perfect to me, it's just to the point.

[@MrBreadisawesome]

Thank you as always!

[@user-fw4uo9bm9i]

i needed this lol thank you

[@goekhanbag]

Wow you’re good! You’re definitely a league above other Japanese language topic KZbinrs! It’s enjoyable listening to you.

[@Shizukanexen]

I'm happy that I actually knew this. I learned "iie" in school, but picked up on "iya" from watching stuff. Thanks for the tips! Great video.