いやいや

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spellings
否否 (uncommon) 否々 (uncommon)

Reduplication of いや (iya).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) いやいや [íꜜyàìyà] (Atamadaka – [1])
IPA^(key): [ija̠ija̠]

Interjection

いやいや • (iyaiya)

reduplicated form of いや (iya); expresses emphatic disagreement
- 1906, Kyōka Izumi, 春昼 [Shunchū, One Day in Spring]:
  
  「……じゃ、あの、やっぱり農(のう)家(か)の娘(むすめ)で、」「否々(いやいや)、大(だい)財(ざい)産(さん)家(か)の細(さい)君(くん)でございます。」
  “……Ja, ano, yappari nōka no musume de,” “iyaiya, daizaisanka no saikun de gozaimasu.”
  "...so, uh, then she must come from a farming family..." - "Not at all. She is the wife of a very wealthy man."

Etymology 2

Alternative spellings
嫌嫌嫌々厭々

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) いやいや [ìyáíyá] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [ija̠ija̠]

Adverb

いやいや or イヤイヤ • (iyaiya)

reluctantly, grudgingly, unwillingly, against one's will