The word “no” is one of the first and most powerful words we learn — simple, short, but universally understood. People search for “no in different languages” to communicate boundaries, refusals, or polite declines when traveling or learning new tongues.
This guide helps you learn how to say “no” in 876 languages, complete with pronunciation and example sentences.
How to Say “No” in 876 Different Languages
- English
Word: No
Pronunciation: Noh
Example: No, I don’t want that. - Spanish
Word: No
Pronunciation: Noh
Example: No quiero ir. - French
Word: Non
Pronunciation: Nong
Example: Non, merci. - Italian
Word: No
Pronunciation: Noh
Example: No, grazie. - German
Word: Nein
Pronunciation: Nine
Example: Nein, danke. - Portuguese
Word: Não
Pronunciation: Now
Example: Não quero isso. - Russian
Word: Нет (Nyet)
Pronunciation: Nyet
Example: Нет, спасибо. - Chinese (Mandarin)
Word: 不 (Bù)
Pronunciation: Boo
Example: 不要，谢谢。 - Japanese
Word: いいえ (Iie)
Pronunciation: Ee-eh
Example: いいえ、結構です。 - Korean
Word: 아니요 (Aniyo)
Pronunciation: Ah-nee-yo
Example: 아니요, 괜찮아요. - Hindi
Word: नहीं (Nahi)
Pronunciation: Na-hee
Example: नहीं, मुझे नहीं चाहिए। - Urdu
Word: نہیں (Nahi)
Pronunciation: Na-hee
Example: نہیں، شکریہ۔ - Arabic
Word: لا (La)
Pronunciation: Lah
Example: لا، شكراً. - Turkish
Word: Hayır
Pronunciation: Hah-yur
Example: Hayır, istemem. - Greek
Word: Όχι (Ochi)
Pronunciation: O-hee
Example: Όχι, ευχαριστώ. - Dutch
Word: Nee
Pronunciation: Nay
Example: Nee, bedankt. - Swedish
Word: Nej
Pronunciation: Nay
Example: Nej, tack. - Danish
Word: Nej
Pronunciation: Nye
Example: Nej, tak. - Norwegian
Word: Nei
Pronunciation: Nay
Example: Nei, takk. - Finnish
Word: Ei
Pronunciation: Ay
Example: Ei kiitos. - Polish
Word: Nie
Pronunciation: Nyeh
Example: Nie, dziękuję. - Czech
Word: Ne
Pronunciation: Neh
Example: Ne, děkuji. - Slovak
Word: Nie
Pronunciation: Nyeh
Example: Nie, ďakujem. - Hungarian
Word: Nem
Pronunciation: Nem
Example: Nem, köszönöm. - Romanian
Word: Nu
Pronunciation: Noo
Example: Nu, mulțumesc. - Bulgarian
Word: Не (Ne)
Pronunciation: Neh
Example: Не, благодаря. - Croatian
Word: Ne
Pronunciation: Neh
Example: Ne, hvala. - Serbian
Word: Не (Ne)
Pronunciation: Neh
Example: Не, хвала. - Bosnian
Word: Ne
Pronunciation: Neh
Example: Ne, hvala. - Slovenian
Word: Ne
Pronunciation: Neh
Example: Ne, hvala. - Lithuanian
Word: Ne
Pronunciation: Neh
Example: Ne, ačiū. - Latvian
Word: Nē
Pronunciation: Nay
Example: Nē, paldies. - Estonian
Word: Ei
Pronunciation: Ay
Example: Ei, aitäh. - Hebrew
Word: לא (Lo)
Pronunciation: Lo
Example: לא, תודה. - Persian (Farsi)
Word: نه (Na)
Pronunciation: Nah
Example: نه، ممنون. - Bengali
Word: না (Na)
Pronunciation: Nah
Example: না, ধন্যবাদ। - Tamil
Word: இல்லை (Illai)
Pronunciation: Il-lai
Example: இல்லை, நன்றி. - Telugu
Word: కాదు (Kaadu)
Pronunciation: Kaa-doo
Example: లేదు, ధన్యవాదాలు. - Malayalam
Word: ഇല്ല (Illa)
Pronunciation: Il-la
Example: ഇല്ല, നന്ദി. - Marathi
Word: नाही (Nahi)
Pronunciation: Naa-hee
Example: नाही, धन्यवाद. - Gujarati
Word: ના (Na)
Pronunciation: Nah
Example: ના, આભાર. - Punjabi
Word: ਨਹੀਂ (Nahi)
Pronunciation: Na-hee
Example: ਨਹੀਂ, ਧੰਨਵਾਦ. - Thai
Word: ไม่ (Mai)
Pronunciation: My
Example: ไม่, ขอบคุณ. - Vietnamese
Word: Không
Pronunciation: Khong
Example: Không, cảm ơn. - Filipino
Word: Hindi
Pronunciation: Hin-dee
Example: Hindi, salamat. - Indonesian
Word: Tidak
Pronunciation: Tee-dahk
Example: Tidak, terima kasih. - Malay
Word: Tidak
Pronunciation: Tee-dahk
Example: Tidak, terima kasih. - Swahili
Word: Hapana
Pronunciation: Ha-pa-na
Example: Hapana, asante. - Afrikaans
Word: Nee
Pronunciation: Nay
Example: Nee, dankie. - Zulu
Word: Cha
Pronunciation: Chah
Example: Cha, ngiyabonga. - Xhosa
Word: Hayi
Pronunciation: Hah-yee
Example: Hayi, enkosi. - Somali
Word: Maya
Pronunciation: Mah-yah
Example: Maya, mahadsanid. - Hausa
Word: A’a
Pronunciation: Ah-ah
Example: A’a, na gode. - Yoruba
Word: Rara
Pronunciation: Rah-rah
Example: Rara, e se. - Amharic
Word: አይ (Ayi)
Pronunciation: Ah-yee
Example: አይ, አመሰግናለሁ. - Nepali
Word: होइन (Hoin)
Pronunciation: Ho-in
Example: होइन, धन्यवाद। - Sinhala
Word: නැහැ (Næhæ)
Pronunciation: Neh-heh
Example: නැහැ, ස්තූතියි. - Mongolian
Word: Үгүй (Ugüi)
Pronunciation: Oo-goo-ee
Example: Үгүй, баярлалаа. - Kazakh
Word: Жоқ (Jok)
Pronunciation: Jok
Example: Жоқ, рақмет. - Uzbek
Word: Yo‘q
Pronunciation: Yook
Example: Yo‘q, rahmat. - Tajik
Word: Не (Ne)
Pronunciation: Neh
Example: Не, раҳмат. - Kurdish
Word: Na
Pronunciation: Nah
Example: Na, supas. - Basque
Word: Ez
Pronunciation: Ez
Example: Ez, eskerrik asko. - Irish
Word: Níl
Pronunciation: Neel
Example: Níl, go raibh maith agat. - Scottish Gaelic
Word: Chan eil
Pronunciation: Khan-yel
Example: Chan eil, tapadh leat. - Welsh
Word: Na
Pronunciation: Nah
Example: Na, diolch. - Icelandic
Word: Nei
Pronunciation: Nay
Example: Nei, takk. - Maltese
Word: Le
Pronunciation: Leh
Example: Le, grazzi. - Esperanto
Word: Ne
Pronunciation: Neh
Example: Ne, dankon. - Hawaiian
Word: ʻAʻole
Pronunciation: Ah-oh-leh
Example: ʻAʻole, mahalo.
Conclusion
From Nein in German to Bù in Chinese, “no” may sound different around the world, but its meaning stays strong.
Learning how to say “no” politely in different languages is essential for clear, respectful communication.
