Universal
Cultural · Communication
You
いえ、まだまだです。
いえ、まだまだです。
Oh no, I'm nowhere near good enough yet.
Romaji: Ie, mada mada desu. / Reply Romaji: Sonna koto nai desu yo! Jūbun jōzu desu yo.
Reply
そんなことないですよ！十分お上手ですよ。
そんなことないですよ！じゅうぶんおじょうずですよ。
Not at all! You're absolutely wonderful at it.
Gesture & etiquette
A slight dismissive wave of one hand with a genuine, modest downward glance; tone should feel sincere and humble, not false — the art is in believing it, not just performing it.
Directly accepting compliments can seem arrogant in Japan. 'まだまだです' (still far from sufficient) is the humble, culturally correct response to praise. Even highly skilled people use it. Foreigners who accept praise too enthusiastically ('ありがとうございます！本当ですか！') can seem boastful — this one phrase dramatically improves social fluency.