I know it seems like いいな means "that's good" but in anime like Akagi and Kaiji, the narrator says いな and the subtitles translate it as "that's wrong". Is いな some kind of old phrase for "that's wrong"? What does it mean?
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2 Answers
いな is an archaic form of 'no' (sometimes written with kanji as 否). You can still hear it in modern Japanese in a few phrases, like ～か否か ('whether or not ～').
いいな is, of course, いい+な, i.e. 'that's good'.
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4It is hardly archaic.– user4032Commented Dec 22, 2013 at 11:17
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When is 否 on it's own normally used in modern japanese? or is it not normally used?– MegCommented Dec 22, 2013 at 16:47
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@TokyoNagoya - If it's not archaic, it's still certainly unsuited to informal/colloquial speech.– SjiveruCommented Dec 22, 2013 at 16:53
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3@Meg We don't say [否]{いな} on its own in real conversation (at least in modern Japanese. I don't know about classic Japanese). I think I've seen it used on its own in essays or novels, like 「～～か？否。」to mean「～～か？いや違う。」– user1016Commented Dec 23, 2013 at 6:09
Yes, like Sjiveru, I wasn't sure if you meant ”良いな” or "否”. I believe that "否” is used rather infrequently. Of course, as Sjiveru mentioned, ”良いな” means, "that's good." But, of course, it embodies multiple meanings. It can also mean "That's good for you. And I'm envious." This is often used by women in a sort of whiney (and I mean that with all due respect :) voice that ends with falling intonation. It can also be used at the end of an informal meeting (like a high school club meeting) to close the meeting and confirm that all attendees agree on what's been decided in the meaning. It can also be used sarcastically.