Nihoner

いわ

iwa

JLPT N5 verb 未然形

is the negative stem of いう — to say, to utter, to declare.

  • to name, to call
  • to go (e.g. "the alarm went ping"), to make a noise
Classical Japanese — you’ll mostly meet it in older texts and set phrases
Full entry for

How it’s built

いう いわ

Negative stem (). Never used alone — it is the base for ない (not), れる/られる (passive), せる/させる (causative): 書か → 書かない.

いう is a classical japanese conjugation, so it follows that pattern.

In real sentences

I don't know.

Tatoeba #127089 (CC BY 2.0 FR)

I'm happy, too.

Tatoeba #10014605 (CC BY 2.0 FR)

You look down.

Tatoeba #175043 (CC BY 2.0 FR)

Other forms and spellings

いおっいふいいいっいえいおういおふいうイウイヴ
negative stem of いう