Crossing

Essentials

How to say “No” in 16 languages

Here is “No” in all 16 languages Crossing covers, with each language's regional variants side by side. Every version shows the native script, a romanization where the script isn't Latin, and a pronunciation guide written for English speakers, with notes on formality and other forms.

EnglishNo

Spanish Español

French Français

German Deutsch

Italian Italiano

Portuguese Português

Greek Ελληνικά

  • Greece

    Όχι

    Óchi

    OH-hee

    A slight upward nod of the head, often with raised eyebrows, also means no.

    Greek travel phrases

Turkish Türkçe

  • Türkiye

    Hayır

    HAH-yuhr

    People also signal no by tilting the head back and raising the eyebrows, often with a click of the tongue.

    Turkish travel phrases

Russian Русский

Hindi हिन्दी

Bengali বাংলা

Gujarati ગુજરાતી

Mandarin Chinese 中文

  • China

    不是

    Bù shì

    boo shr

    This means "that's not so". To turn down an offer, say "不用了" (bùyòng le) or "不要" (bù yào).

    Mandarin Chinese travel phrases

Japanese 日本語

Korean 한국어

  • South Korea

    아니요

    Aniyo

    ah-nee-yoh

    Formal

    To turn down an offer politely, Koreans often say "괜찮아요" (gwaenchanayo), "I'm fine".

    Korean travel phrases

Arabic العربية

Hebrew עברית

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Crossing has these phrases and hundreds more in 16 languages, side by side, with audio and the replies you're likely to hear back. Compare two languages free, or up to five with Premium.

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