Meaning

Primary

No

Alternative

Not

Word Type

interjection

Explanation

The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.

Note that (いな) is very formal and somewhat archaic. Today, it's most commonly used in the expression 〜か否か (whether… or not).

Reading

いな
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)
いや
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it probably uses the kun'yomi reading. You did not learn this reading, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

Instead of saying "no" you say "na," and instead of saying "na" you say いな.

Note that can also be read いや, which is a common way to say “no” in modern Japanese, but that reading is almost always written in kana.

Context

Context Sentences

そのビデオを見るか否か、まだ決めきれていない。

I haven’t decided if I’ll watch the video or not yet.

Kanji Composition