In Korean, “아니요” (aniyo) and “아니에요” (anieyo) both relate to negation, but they are used in different grammatical situations. Understanding the difference helps learners sound more natural in Korean. 😊
1️⃣ “아니요” — “No” (a response word)
아니요 is an interjection, meaning it is used by itself to answer a question.
It simply means “No.”
It does not form a full sentence.
It is commonly used when responding to yes/no questions.
Examples
A: Mel 씨는 한국 사람이에요?
B: 아니요. Mel 씨는 미국 사람이에요.
English
A: Is Mel a Korean?
B: No. Mel is an American.
A: 소현 씨, 지금 바빠요?
B: 아니요, 괜찮아요.
English
A: Sohyun, are you busy now?
B: No, It’s okay.
A: 정현 씨, 커피 좋아해요?
B: 아니요, 저는 차를 더 좋아해요.
English
A: Junghyun, Do you like coffee?
B: No, I prefer tea.
💡 Key point:
아니요 = “No” as a stand-alone answer.
2️⃣ “아니에요” — “is not / am not / are not” (a sentence)
아니에요 comes from the noun 아니다 (to not be).
It is used to negate a noun statement.
Structure:
Noun + 아니에요
= “is not / am not / are not”
Examples
1. 제 마카우 Sara는 수컷이 아니에요.
English : My macaw Sara is not male.
2. 김치는 중국 음식이 아니에요.
English : Kimchi is not a Chinese food.
3. Steve 씨는 제 남편이 아니에요.
English : Steve is not my husband.
4. Cortis의 James는 한국 사람이 아니에요.
English : James of Cortis is not a Korean.
💡 Key point:
아니에요 = “not to be”, used inside a full sentence.
3️⃣ A situation where both appear together
Sometimes 아니요 + 아니에요 appear together because they serve different roles.
Example:
A: Ben 씨는 학생이에요?
B: 아니요, Ben 씨는 학생이 아니에요.
English
A: Is Ben a student?
B: No, Ben is not a student.
Breakdown:
아니요 → answering the question (“No”)
아니에요 → making the negative statement (“not a student”)
✔️ Quick learner tip
Think of it like this:
아니요 = No
아니에요 = not to be
