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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "oh no" in Japanese?

ああ、いやだ

aa, iyada

Phrase Hiragana

In Japanese, "oh no" is ああ、いやだ (aa, iyada).

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Pronunciation

Say AH, ee-YAH-dah, with a drawn-out 'aa' at the start like a genuine groan of dismay.

Writing and usage

ああ、いやだ is written using hiragana. It's a phrase, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

oh no

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How to remember ああ、いやだ

Iyada literally means 'I don't want that' — picture recoiling and groaning the instant something goes wrong.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about ああ、いやだ

How do you pronounce ああ、いやだ?

Say AH, ee-YAH-dah, with a drawn-out 'aa' at the start like a genuine groan of dismay.

Is ああ、いやだ formal or casual?

ああ、いやだ is a common everyday expression. Context and tone of voice matter more than the words themselves for how formal it sounds.

How is ああ、いやだ written in Japanese?

ああ、いやだ is written using hiragana. Romanised, it reads as aa, iyada.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Oh no" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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