No way unbelievable
Conversation phrases, Stage 2chunk 21 of 71Reacting
Reacts strongly to something shocking or outrageous.
- arienaino way; that's impossible; that's outrageous
- iya iyano, no; not at all; oh, come on
- shinjirarenaiunbelievable; I can't believe it
- uso mitaiit's unreal; I can hardly believe it
Mix-ups iya iya also brushes off compliments; arienai can mean outrageous, not just surprising.
arienai
polite arienai desu
no way; that's impossible; that's outrageous
Reacts to something hard to believe or hard to accept.
Young people also use it as praise: arienai kurai oishii (unbelievably good).
kyuuryou ga sagaru no? arienai!
Our pay's going down? That's outrageous!
給料が下がるの？ありえない！
kyuuryou ga sagaru n desu ka? arienai desu.
Our pay's going down? That's unbelievable.
給料が下がるんですか？ありえないです。
Written ありえない · ありえないですWho you say it and hear itHeard 558× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
iya iya
no, no; not at all; oh, come on
Modest denial when you're praised or thanked; also brushes off a silly idea.
In polite talk, ie ie is a softer choice.
iya iya, sonna koto nai yo.
No, no, not at all.
いやいや、そんなことないよ。
iya iya, sonna koto nai desu yo.
Oh no, not at all.
いやいや、そんなことないですよ。
Written いやいやWho you say it and hear itHeard 617× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
shinjirarenai
polite shinjiraremasen
unbelievable; I can't believe it
For shocking news, good or bad.
Said with a frown it scolds, like 'how could you?'.
uso, shinjirarenai! takarakuji atatta no?
No way, I can't believe it! You won the lottery?
うそ、信じられない！宝くじ当たったの？
shinjiraremasen. takarakuji ga atatta n desu ka?
I can't believe it. You won the lottery?
信じられません。宝くじが当たったんですか？
Written 信じられない · しんじられない · 信じられませんWho you say it and hear itHeard 1800× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
uso mitai
polite uso mitai desu
it's unreal; I can hardly believe it
Said about something too good or too strange to believe, like happy news or a stunning view.
It doesn't accuse anyone of lying; uso! alone is the everyday 'no way!'.
goukaku shita nante, uso mitai.
I can't believe I actually passed.
合格したなんて、嘘みたい。
goukaku shita nante, uso mitai desu.
I can hardly believe I passed.
合格したなんて、嘘みたいです。
Written 嘘みたい · うそみたい · 嘘みたいですWho you say it and hear itHeard 32× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles