아니요 vs. 아니에요 — What is the difference?

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Are 아니요 and 아니에요 the same?

The answer is… No, they are not the same! Even though both 아니요 and 아니에요 are used to express negation, they are essentially different.

아니요 = No — Antonym: “Yes” — 네/예

아니에요 ← 아니다 + Korean Polite Style Sentence-final Ending 아/어요

= to be not/ that is not the case — Antonym: the copula verb 이에요/예요

Generally speaking, 아니요 will appear at the beginning of a sentence, and 아니에요 will appear at the end of a sentence.

Examples:

1. 아니요. 아니에요. = No. It is not.

Although we can use 아니에요 on its own, some details are omitted. The 아니에요 here has the meaning of “what you just said is not correct/ not true/ not a fact.”

2. Q: 학생이세요?
A: 아니요. 학생(이) 아니에요.
Are you a student?
No, I am not a student.

3. Q: 그 사람은 가수예요?
A: 아니요. 그 사람은 가수(가) 아니에요.
Is that person a singer?
No, that person is not a singer.