「マギー先生なんて聞いたことないよ。」
= “Maggie sensei” nante kiita koto naiyo.
= I have never heard of “Maggie sensei”.
するなんて ( = surunante) したなんて ( = shitanante) 雨なんて ( = ame nante)★ Adjective+ なんて ( = nante) :
Ex.美味しい ( = oishii) delicious + なんて ( = nante)
美味しいなんて ( = oishii nante)
Ex.だめ ( = dame) not good, bad ＋なんて ( = nante)
だめなんて ( = dame nante)
Note: We sometimes add だ ( = da) in front of なんて ( = nante) when we quote what we have heard or emphasize our feelings even more.
*するだなんて = suru danante
*雨だなんて = ame danante
*美味しいだなんて = oishii danante
*だめだなんて = dame danante
When to use :
1) When you emphasize the word or sentence which comes before なんて（ = nante) and express your feelings such as surprise (either positive or negative), disgust, admiration, happiness, disbelief, etc. Let’s compare the following sentences.
Ex. 1-a) 試験は嫌いだ。
(stronger)Ex. 2-a) 漢字は書けない。
(stronger)Ex. 3-a) 彼のことを忘れることはできない。
(stronger)*****
Ex.受験勉強なんてなければいいのに。
Ex. 日本語なんて簡単だ。
= Guchi nante kikitaku mo nai.
= I don’t want to hear you complaining.
Ex. AKBの曲なんて歌わない。
= AKB no kyoku nante utawanai.
= There is no way that I would sing AKB’s songs.
Ex. 雨なんて嫌いだ。
= Ame nante kiraida.
= I hate rain!
Ex. 相撲なんてつまらない。
= Sumo nante tsumaranai.
= Sumo is just boring.
Ex. 私のことなんてどうでもいいのね。(Female speech)
= Watashi no koto nante doudemo iinone.
= You don’t care about me, do you?
= Oniichan nante mou shiranai!
Note : 知らない ( = shiranai) has two meanings. “not to know” and “not to care” / “to give up on someone/something”
Ex. 彼には私なんてふさわしくありません。
= Kare niwa watashi nante fusawashiku arimasen.
= I don’t deserve him.
Ex. 私なんて…
= Watashi nante…
= What good am I? (I am good for nothing. I don’t deserve it.)
Ex. えっ？沖縄に5回も行ったの？私なんてまだ一度も行ったことないよ。(negative)
= Eh? Okinawa ni gokai mo itta no? Watashi nante mada ichido mo itta koto naiyo.
= What? You have been to Okinawa five times already? I have never been there.
⬇️ (showing the contrast)
Ex. えっ？沖縄に行ったことないの？私なんてもう５回も行ったよ。 (positive/ in this case bragging)
= Eh? Okinawa ni itta koto naino? Watashi nante mou gokai mo ittayo.
= What? You have never been to Okinawa? I have been there five times already.
＊＊＊＊
Ex. A : 「彼、最近、冷たいんだ。」
=Kare saikin tsumetain da.
= You know my boyfriend has been very aloof lately.
:u: (showing the contrast/ in this case bragging)
Ex. B : 「私の彼なんてめちゃめちゃ優しいよ。」
= Watashi no kare nante mechamecha yasashii yo.
= But MY boyfriend is very sweet.
****
Ex. C : 「私の彼、いつもデートに遅刻してくるんだよ。」
= Watashi no kare itsumo deeto ni chikoku shitekurundayo.
= You know my boyfriend is always late for the date.
⬇️ (showing the contrast/ giving the worse example.)
Ex. D : 「私の彼なんてもっとひどいよ。」
= Watashi no kare nante motto hidoiyo.
= Well, my boyfriend is even worse…
Pay attention to what comes before and after なんて ( =nante) to see if it is used in a positive or negative meaning.
(positive)
Ex. 日本に一人で行くなんてすごいね。
= Nihon ni hitori de iku nante sugoine.
= It is great that you are going to Japan by yourself.
(negative)
Ex. 日本に一人で行くなんてどうかしている。
= Nihon ni hitori de itta nante douka shiteiru.
= You are nuts going to Japan by yourself.
******
(positive..well it could be negative.. :) )
Ex. 犬が日本語を教えているなんて信じられません。
= Inu ga nihongo wo oshieteiru nante shinjiraremasen.
= I can’t believe that a dog is teaching Japanese.
(negative)
Ex.彼があんなことをするなんて信じられない。
= Kare ga anna koto wo suru nante shinjirarenai.
= I can’t believe he did such a thing.
******
Ex. 日本語能力試験の１級に受かったなんてすごいね。
= Nihongo nouryoku shiken no Ikyuu ni ukatta nante sugoine.
= It is great that you passed the level one of the Japanese Proficiency Exam.
Ex. そんなことを言うなんてひどい。
= Sonna koto wo iunante hidoi.
= That’s a horrible thing to say.
📝 Note : なんて ( = nante) and なんか ( = nanka)
Some of you might wonder the difference between なんて ( = nante) and なんか ( = nanka)
Basically, you can replace なんて ( = nante) with なんか ( = nanka) when it comes after a noun and when you want to emphasize the word showing your strong emotion or belittle someone/something.
Ex. 私なんて= watashi nante
私なんか = watashi nanka
Ex. お金なんて = okane nante
お金なんか = okane nanka
However, you can’t replace なんて ( = nante) with なんか ( = nanka) when it comes after a verb or an adjective.
Ex. 行くなんて = ikunante
❌ You can’t say 行くなんか ( = ikunanka) (wrong)
Ex. するなんて= surunante
❌ You can’t say するなんか ( = surunaka) (wrong)
:k: We sometimes leave the sentence unfinished with なんて ( = nante) letting the listener read between the lines.
Ex. まだ６月なのに台風が来るなんて…
= Mada rokugatsu nanoni taifuu ga kuru nante.
=Typhoon is coming in June already??? (being surprised)
(We can tell the speaker is trying to say “It is too early to have a typhoon in June.)
Ex. 彼が私のことを好きだなんて…
= Kare ga watashi no koto wo sukida nante…
= I had no idea he liked me. (being surprised or confused)
Ex. １万円もしたワインがこんなにまずいなんて…
= Ichimanen mo shita wain ga konnani mazui nante…
= I can’t believe this 10,000 yen wine tasted this bad. (being disappointed)
Ex.こんなかわいい彼女ができたなんて…
= Konna kawaii kanojo ga dekitanante…
= I can’t believe I now have this lovely girlfriend. (being happy)
3) When you quote something/ such as, things like, a person like
Ex. 今、フレンチブルドッグが人気があるなんてことを聞きましたが、本当ですか？
= Ima furenchi burudoggu ga ninki ga arunante koto wo kikimashita ga hontou desuka?
= I heard something like French Bulldog is very popular now but is it true?
From Mitsu-sensei’s quote above :
Ex. マギー先生なんて聞いたことないよ。
= “Maggie sensei” nante kiita koto naiyo.
= I have never heard of Maggie sensei.
or
マギー先生なんて先生は聞いたことないよ。
= Maggie sensei nante sensei wa kiita koto naiyo.
= I have never heard of a teacher such as Maggie Sensei.
Ex. 「お嬢さん」なんて呼ばれると照れるなあ。
= Ojousan nante yobareru to tereru naa.
= I am embarrassed/flattered when you (or someone) address me as “a young lady”.
Ex.お互いに家がこんなに近いなんて知らなかった。
= Otagai ni iega konna ni chikai nante shiranakatta.
=We didn’t know we live this close.
Ex. 宿題はいつも友達にやってもらうなんて人がいますが、自分でやって下さい。
= Shukudai wa itsumo tomodachi ni yatte morau nante hito ga imasu ga jibun de yatte kudasai.
= There are people who always ask their friends to do their homework but you should do it yourself.
Ex. ９月になったら涼しくなるなんてテレビで言っていたが信じられない。
= Kugatsu ni nattara suzushiku narunante terebi de itte ita ga shinjirarenai.
= I heard something like it will be cooler in September on TV but it is hard to believe.
🔸 なんて ( = nante) + 〜 : （exclamatory sentence) How ~ !・What a 〜
⭐️ How to form :
なんて ( = nante)+ adj+ auxiliary verb/ noun
Ex. なんてつまらない本なんだろう。
= Nante tsumranai hon nandarou.
= What a boring book it is.
Ex. なんて食べ方をするんですか！
= Nante tabekata wo surun desu ka!
= You are such a messy eater!
Ex. 彼は、なんて歌がうまいんだろう。
= Kare wa nante uta ga umain darou!
= He is such a great singer.
Ex. なんて美しい犬なんでしょう。
= Nante utsukushii inu nan deshou.
= What a beautiful dog!
Ex. なんてすばらしい先生なんでしょう！
= Nante subarashii sensei nandeshou!
= What a great teacher!
Ex. 最初に会った時、なんてかわいい女の子なんだろうと思いました。
= Saisho ni atta toki nante kawaii onnanoko nan darou to omoimashita.
= When I first saw her (you) I thought what a lovely girl she was.
Maggie Sensei might think we are talking about her…Hehehe… :)
⭐️What / How does it call / What is the name of ~ (casual)
*なんという( = 何と言う = nantouiu)
casual contraction なんていう ( = nanteiu)
なんて ( = nante)
* なんと(= 何と( = nanito))
(more casual) なんて( = nante)
⭐️ How to form：
なんて( = 何て = nante) ( + いう( = 言う = iu) )+ noun
なんて( = 何て = nante) + verb
Ex.あの人、なんて（いう）名前だった？(casual)
= Ano hito nante (iu) namae datta?
= What was the name of that person again?
Ex. これなんて(いう）花？(casual)
= Kore nante (iu) hana?
= What is the name of this flower?
Ex. 今、なんて言った？(casual)
= Ima nante itta?
= What did you just say?
Ex. この漢字なんて読むの？(casual)
= Kono kanji nante yomuno?
= How do you read this kanji?
Ex. 子供の頃、なんて呼ばれていたの？
= Kodomo no koro nante yobarete itano?
= How were you called when you were a child?
= How did people call you when you were a child?
Other usage :
After saying something and telling the listener it was a joke.
(Usually, you say something serious and try to ease up the seriousness.)
⬇️
なんてね (casual)
= Nante ne
= I’m just kidding.
(more colloquial : なんちゃって = nanchatte)
Ex. 明日からマギー先生のサイトは会員制になります。なんてね。
= Ashita kara Maggie sensei no saito wa kaiin sei ni narimasu. Nantene.
= As of tomorrow, Maggie Sensei’s site will be only for members. Just kidding!
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
ショック！！
= Shokku!!
= I am shocked!!
***
Will you be my Patron?
I appreciate your support! サポートありがとう！
89 Comments
マギ一先生、
Would it be correct to use なんて sort of like “only”? As in demeaning something as lesser? Examples:
すみません、飲み物は水なんてがあるのです。
Sorry, I only have water to drink. (inferior compared to tea, coffee, etc for a guest)
安くて古いコンピュータなんてがあるから、ゲームをできないんだ。
I can’t play the game because I only have a cheap, old computer.
Is this correct sounding, or is there a better way to get that idea across?
Hi Terry
You don’t say 〜なんてがある
すみません、飲み物は水なんてがあるのです。
→You can say 水しかありません. If you want to add the nuance of demeaning the water,
水ぐらいしかありません。
安くて古いコンピュータなんてがあるから、ゲームをできないんだ。
→安くて古いコンピューターしかないから、ゲームができないんだ。
Oh, is that because なんて replaces particles or you wouldn’t say なんてある either?
Aaah, I had your しか lesson open in another tab but hadn’t read it yet ^^; ありがとうございます！
Right. You don’t say Noun+ なんてある in the meaning of “only have something”
Good. Please check my しか lesson. ☺️
😄 Hi, Maggie sensei.
Thank you so much for this really useful lesson!!💗
I read a verse of a song that says:
「新ネタ仕入れたなんてね したり顔でtalkin’ talkin’… 」
The final 「なんで」 means anything in particular o is it just used to emphasize the sentence?
Also, in the phrase「あの子のアレコレ気になって センシティブな顔なんだって」… How is 「なんだって」used in this context?
Thanks in advance 💖.
Hi Leah
1) This なんて is quoting what comes before, 「新ネタ仕入れた」. ~なんて（言って） Saying things like ~
2) In this case なんだって is quoting the reason.
I heard/He/She/Someone told me the reason why ~ is ~
So you heard the reason why someone has a sensitive face. And tell someone that reason why.
Ooh, I see. 「なんて」 is quoting what comes before.
Thank you very much for the explanation💗.
Regarding to “あの子のアレコレ気になって センシティブな顔なんだって”, what would be the correct way to translate it?
Now I think of it なんだって has another usage. When you make your point or explain something or giving a reason in a strong way about oneself. “I am telling you ~”
It depends on the context and it is kind of hard to tell which one by reading just one line.
I don’t do the translation here but if it is quoting,
“I heard ~ has a sensitive face because ~ can’t help thinking about her/him.”
If that person is explaining the reason himself/herself then
“I have a sensitive face because I can’t help thinking about her/him, OK?”
Hello Maggie-sensei!
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence recently including 「なんて」. It goes like this:
まだです！私が一度も勝てないなんてコト。。。話してる途中で歌やめる。
I have two questions. The first one is about what is the function of なんて and コト in this sentence and the second is if you should always put で after 途中. I’ve seen two sentences that are like that and I’m not sure if it’s a rule or not.
Hello Mutuio
私が一度も勝てないなんてコト..
This is unfinished sentence but you can assume it expresses one’s disbelief.
私が一度も勝てないなんてこと、あるわけがない(There is no way that I can never win)/信じられない (I can’t believe that I can never win), etc.
So this なんて modifies こと and こと has a function the verb into a noun, in this case 勝てない (can never win →with こと: that I can never win)
It depends on the context but you can use で or に or no particle after 途中
Hello Maggie-sensei,
I heard a line e in a game I’m playing and I thought the translation is wrong, so I was wondering what you think of it?
The line is (in romaji):
Oh kameraman-san wa Peter te iu no ka? Thank you Peter! Demo, henji ga kiita no nante hajimete daze!
Translation (sub) was:
Oh so your name is Peter? Well, let’s go with Pete! Thanks for giving me some attention.
I think the translation is inaccurate. What would be better?
Hi Wendy
I think you posted the same question here twice. (Please note that you can’t get any notification when I reply to you)
Please check below your previous question. I left a comment.
Hello Maggie-sensei!
I came across a line in an otome game I’m playing and I thought the translation is wrong, so I was wondering what you think of it?
The line is (in romaji):
Oh kameraman-san wa Peter te iu no ka? Thank you Peter! Demo, henji ga kiita no nante hajimete daze!
Translation (sub) was:
Oh so your name is Peter? Well, let’s go with Pete! Thanks for giving me some attention.
I think the translation is inaccurate. What would be better?
Hi Wendy
Please check the last line,
“henji ga kiita” first.
Was it “kiita” or “kita”? Can you give me the kanji 聞いた 来た 効いた because the translation changes depends on this.
Also I don’t see Japanese line for
“let’s go with Pete! “
Hi, Maggie sensei!
I have found an example of the use of the use of なんて in a textbook, and it seems to be used to change completely the meaning of the phrase (from positive to negative), so I think it doesn’t fit any of the examples above:
歌いたくない人に歌わせるなんて。
From the context (the situation is a karaoke) I guess this means:
I don’t want to force to sing to anyone who doesn’t want to sing.
Is that right?
Without using なんて , could it be written like this?
歌いたくない人に歌わせないでほしいです。
Thanks!
Hi Marcos,
Sometimes you leave the sentence unfinished with なんて to express your strong feelings such as disbelief, surprise, admiration, etc.
In this case the words like ひどい ( = awful) / ありえない ( There is no way) / 意地悪な人だろう ( What a mean person), etc. will follow.
歌いたくない人に歌わせるなんて
= How dare you to make someone sing (even though they don’t want to sing.)
なるほど。 答えてくれてありがとう！
どういたしまして :)
Hi, Maggie sensei!
I’ve a found an example of the use of
Hi Maggie-sensei
I have a question about using なんて in combination with a conditional clause.
In your example sentence:
受験勉強なんてなければいいのに
I am under the impression that 受験勉強 is a noun and not a verb, so I understand up to the point after なんて is attached. Why does なければ come right after なんて, and why is it that and not しなければ for example? (like if it was 受験勉強する/をする)
I also found another sentence online similar to that one:
お金が必要なければ、使わないでおけばいい,
where the verb is usually expressed as 必要がある, but the が is dropped in the conditional.
I feel as if there is something implied that I just may not be knowledgeable of yet. Sorry if this question is confusing. Thank you for the help!
Hello Aaron,
First you tend to drop particles in conversation/conversational writing.
Also you avoid using the same particle in one sentence.
１）受験勉強なんてなければいいのに
(←受験勉強なんてものは、(or が）なければいいのに）
２）お金が必要なければ、使わないでおけばいい,
(←お金の必要がなければ、使わないでおけばいい * In this case、in order to avoid using が twice, it will be more natural to say お金の）
Hi Maggie-san!
Quick question about the placement of なんて
In your example:
彼のことを忘れるなんてことはできない
Would it be the same meaning (or even grammatically correct) if I phrased it as:
彼のことを忘れることなんてできない
Thanks for your help as always!
Hello Spencer,
Yes, you can rephrase it
彼のことを忘れることなんてできない
It has the same meaning and it is grammatically correct. ☺️
Hello Maggie-sensei!
Thank you so much for providing us with such good lessons that are easy to understand! I stumbled across a sentence in a song recently including 「なんて」and I’m a bit unsure as to how I should translate it. It goes like this:
“突然鳴り出した電話の相手がまさか君だったなんて
もう忘れたハズなのにね”
It’s about whether it’s in a positive or negative way he’s implying it. Should I interpret it as something like “I can’t believe that you would suddenly call me” or “There is no way you would suddenly call me”. The second sentence 「もう忘れた。。。」is only there for context.
返事を楽しみにしています。良い一日を！
Hello Sebastian,
Maggie is on vacation right now, so I allow myself to answer your question.
In this sentence なんて is connected with まさか and it expresses strong surprise. The sentence is unfinished for purpose, like very often in Japanese. After なんて you can expect something like 「思いもしなかった！」 for example.
Your interpretation is correct. The context is positive; the person thought, that he/she already forgot about him/her, but surprisingly that was not the case.
Hope I could clarify things up.
ヨロシク
こんにちは、天人さん！
Yes, that made things a lot clearer. Thank you so much for taking your time to answer my question.
Hi Maggie-sensei,
I came across this sentence “お金は貸金庫に預けられて。それを奪い返すなんて。”
Which translate apparently to “Now that the money is in a safe-deposit box, there’s no way I can steal it back.” (it’s from a drama, I am not planning a burglary )
I don’t get why, as 奪い返す in this form simply mean “to get back” or “steal back”. I don’t get where the “no way” come from. Could this be due to なんて?
Hello,
You sometimes leave the sentence unfinished with なんて to express one’s emotions.
In this case, assuming from the translation, the following part would be
それを奪い返すなんて “できない／できるわけがない／絶対、無理だ。”.
Hi Maggie sensei, thank you so much for this really useful lesson!!
I have one question: in the lesson you used 彼が私のことを好きだなんて, but why is there the を particle when the verb is だ/です?
Hi David,
When you say
He likes me,
彼は私のことが好きです。
or you also say
彼は私のことを好きです。
が is more common with 好き but since there is already が after 彼 （彼が）, you tend to avoid the same particle が and use を to make it sound more natural.
ありがとうございます！ :D :D
どういたしまして！
Hello Maggie sensei!
I have a question about “what a” part of the lesson. You mad these examples:
Nante tsumranai hon nandarou.
Nante tabekata wo surun desu ka!
Kare wa nante uta ga umain darou!
Nante utsukushii inu nan deshou.
Nante subarashii sensei nandeshou!
Saisho ni atta toki nante kawaii onnanoko nan darou to omoimashita.
What’s the rule about the verb? Should I always use “darou/deshou”?
(plus, why “surun desu ka” that time?, and why do you put “nan” in front of the verb?)
I explain better, would those sentences be correct if I’d written them like this:
Nante tsumranai hon desu.
Nante tabekata wo surun desu!
Kare wa nante uta ga umain desu!
Nante utsukushii inu desu.
Nante subarashii sensei desu!
Saisho ni atta toki nante kawaii onnanoko nan desu to omoimashita.
Thank you for your patience, Maggie sensei.
Hi Massimiliano,
Nante ~ darou/deshou is a bit dramatic way to express your strong emotions.(Ex. when you are moved, surprised, angry, etc.)
you can also use the pattern
Nante ~ da!
Ex. Nante hito deshou (polite/sounds a bit feminine)
→(more casual) Nante hito darou!
→(more casual) Nante hito da!
The following sentences are not natural because you don’t finish this patter with です
X Nante tsumranai hon desu.
X Nante tabekata wo surun desu!
X Kare wa nante uta ga umain desu!
X Nante utsukushii inu desu.
X Nante subarashii sensei desu!
X Saisho ni atta toki nante kawaii onnanoko nan desu to omoimashita.
Ah maybe it was confusing to put surun desu ka there but the difference between “darou” and “surun desu ka” is
Ex. なんて食べ方をするんだろう (You are talking to yourself)
Ex. なんて食べ方をするんですか! (You are complaining to someone with accusing tone. )
Thanks Maggie Sensei! Your website is the best Japanese learning website!
Thank you for your nice comment! :)
Maggie sensei, I can not say enough thanks for your valuable lessons. Thank you so much, you make japanese learning so much easier. ^^
良い一日を!!
Hello Damon!
Thank you so much for your nice message. It made my day! ありがとう！
よいお年をお迎えくださいね。💕
Hello Maggie-sensei,
There’s this sentence I’m reading with an odd form:
“なんて言ってはいるけど…”
I thought it might be something like “I don’t know how I’m saying this but…”.
It’s the は in the middle that throws me off. I was wondering how you’d translate this.
Thank you!
Hi EJ!
It means “(The speaker is) saying things like that (or something like that) but…”
なんて言っているけど → emphasizes the meaning なんて言ってはいるけど
I have a question about a phrase I’ve seen some times… “x shiyou ka na… nante”. Based on context I’d assume it’s somewhat along the lines of “I guess maybe I should give x a try or something” or “I’ll try x, I guess”, but I don’t entirely get how the “nante” at the end works here. Is it thrown on to make the the statement even more noncommittal than the “ka na” already made it?
＠F
Hi F,
〜しようかな…なんて
Is it thrown on to make the the statement even more noncommittal than the “ka na” already made it?
Exactly!! And your translation is right.
By adding ”…なんて(ね）” at the end, you can make your speech make sound less serious.
It could also add the nuance, “I am just kidding”/ “Haha”.
Oh, so using “nante” like this is the same as using “nante ne”? I always just see “nante” on its own in this particular construct.
Saying “hajimeyou ka na… nante” would have roughly the same meaning as saying “I guess I should start… or something” in English, then?
＠F
…なんて
…なんてね
…なんて思ったりして
All these are the same group. You use them when you avoid sounding too assertive and add “vaguity”.
So as you said, “or something” or ” I guess I am going to give it a try..” is very close to the nuance.
Konbanha Sensei;
I Just Want To Know What Are The Words (Nanza & Nanzo)? I Used To Hear In Anime
Does They Have Any Relations With (Nante/Nanka)?
O~Negai Shimasu !CHECKHEART!
@Kibounokata
Ohayou, Kibounokata!
Hmmm what could it be??? Maybe you heard the word なんぞ (Nanzo)?
If so it is originally an old literal expression of など but you use it as なんて/なんか.(I said it was a literal expression but you hear that in quite rough male speech to emphasize what comes before.)
お前なんぞに負けるものか。＝ お前なんかに負けるものか
I will never lose to you
(The speaker belittles the listener)
Sou Desu Ka, Used As (Nante/Nanka), So As A Result, (Nanzo) Has Nothing To Do With (Etc…), I Mean Like The (Toka) Word?
＠Kibounokata
It is possible to use なんぞ in the meaning of “,etc.” instead of など but it is old fashioned.
And you have to be careful when you use it because as I mentioned in my previous comment, it has a function to belittle what you are talking about.
Also 〜とはなんぞ？ What is ~ ? (literal)
こんにちは！＼(^o^)／
質問があるんですが、、、
この文章は合ってますか？
・15秒以内見つけられるのなんか無理。
「こと」の代わりに、「の」を使ってもいいでしょうか？
お返事を楽しみにしてます。
ありがとうございます！(*^_^*)
@りん
こんにちは、りん！
はい、「こと」のかわりに「の」を使うことができます。
りんが言いたいのは
There is no way to find it(or someone) just in 15 seconds?
ということですか？だったら
１５秒以内に見つけるのなんて無理
の方がいいと思います。
はい、そうです！
また助かりました！
いつもありがとうございまーす！＼(^o^)／
良い1日を！♡
＠りん
どういたしまして！りんもいい日を過ごしてくださいね。
Hey, I just coincidentally found your blog by googling while trying to find out what “なーんてな” means. I heard that in an anime, where one particular character likes to fool people by playing dead and afterwards says “なーんてな, 死んだふり”, and since I heard that I’m trying to find a proper translation to that “なーんてな”-part but I just can’t find one no matter what I try – Google Translate obviously didn’t give me anything. Do you maybe know how to translate that word? Nothing comes before it, the entire sentence is only those 2 words.
@Serjo
Hi Serjo,
なーんてな (male speech)
variation: なんてね(both men and women use) , なんちゃって(colloquial)
means “Just kidding”
Good day to you, Maggie-sensei! I was reading this and noticed that most of the time なんて would replace は or other particles, but what if なんて comes after particles?
I read a line that says
見せ掛けは何て綺麗で 吐き気がする世界だろう。
Would that means that the なんて is emphasizing on 綺麗, or is it actually 見せ掛け? I am confused as how I should go for this… I asked various friends and they’re giving different answers for it >_< I wonder if it would be "Such a sickening world because the fakes are so beautiful" or "Such a sickening world because the beauties are so fake"?
Thank you in advance. I hope you'll have a good day!
@Aozora
Hi Aozora,
見せ掛けは何て綺麗で 吐き気がする世界だろう。
People give you different answers because there are two possibilities.
１）なんて just modifies 綺麗（きれい) → “Such a beautiful sickening world”(beautiful modifies sickening world)
２）It modifies 綺麗 and 吐き気がする Such a “beautiful and sickening” world.
I read a paragraph which says:
お母さんはお父さんがいない方が食事のよういがらくでいい、なんていっていました。
How is なんてused in this context? Does it mean “Mom says that it is a lot easier and better to prepare meals when dad is not here”, where emphasis is placed on how much easier it is to prepare meals?
もちろんこれはじょうだんで、本当はずいぶんさびしがっているんです。
Does “がっているんです” mean show signs of? Do you mind explaining?
お父さんが電話をかけてくると喜ぶのでわかります。
If I were to say this in English a bit literally, can I say “It can be understood because whenever dad calls, mom is happy”?
しつもんがたくさんあるね～
@pennypup
こんにちは、pennypup,
1) お母さんはお父さんがいない方が食事のよういがらくでいい、なんていっていました。
This なんて means “(to say something like) ~~~” but it involves some feelings of a little surprise or jokingly accusing in this case.
2) 寂しがる to feel lonely. I have がり、がる lesson. So please go check.
3) OK, or “I can tell because ~~”
“Shukudai wa itsumo tomodachi ni yatte morau nante hito ga imaseu ga jibun de yatte kudasai.”
“imasu”
“itaga” “shinjirarenai”
“Kugatsu ni nattara suzushiku narunante terebi de itte igata shinjirarenasi.”
In your examples なんて always replaces は or を after a noun. I was wondering if なんて can be used with other particles like に、で、から、まで、より、しか、し etc. and what the word order would be.
よろしく :pika: :pika:
@Zetsuboumanadeshi
Thank you for spotting the typos.
You can use なんて with other particles.
８時に家を出る
→８時になんて家を出られない
東京まで行く
→歩いて東京までなんて遠くていけない。
みなの前で歌う
→みなの前でなんて歌えない。etc.
本人だけど、あんた見てる限り完璧だね、感服。
しかし一つ漏れがあるんじゃないかと。
～なんてもんじゃない、という型、外国人にとって訳わからないらしいよ。
教えてあげてって
@wow
”なんてもんじゃない” のことかな？また機会があったらその使い方、追加します。
Hi Maggie, thanks for your great lessons.
The combination:
なんて。。。なんでしょう。
seems to be used for saying
How … !
The final 「なんでしょう」 means anything in particular o is it just used to emphasize the sentence?
Can you use 「なんて」 alone?
Thanks in advance.
@jyodongo
Hello, jyodongo!
Yes, なんて〜でしょう／だろう means “How ~!”/ “What a ~!”
Ex. なんていいお天気なんでしょう。
= How lovely weather it is.
Ex. なんてひどい人なんだろう。
= What an awful person he/she/they are.
Though you see this expression a lot in writing, we just say いい天気だね／いい天気ですね／ひどい！／ひどい人！in real conversation.
You don’t use なんて alone. xなんてひどい！
ありがとうございます。
@joyodongo
どういたしまして！
good morning dear maggie sensei and everyone. i have a question about “what a” part of the lesson.
ex:
Nante utsukushii inu nan deshou.
= What a beautiful dog!
i saw a song entitled as
nanka shiawase and it has been translated as “what happiness…”
does that mean “nanka” can also substitutes “nante” in this kind of situation?
nanka utsukushii inu nan deshou.
= What a beautiful dog!
thank you so much in advance dear maggie sensei and everyone.
@obakasan000
Good morning!
なんて and なんか are different.
Therefore we don’t say,
nanka utsukushii inu nan deshou.
You have to say なんて美しい犬なんでしょう。(=nante utsukushii inu nanndeshou.)
なんか（a casual way to say 何か=nanika) means “somehow” “you can’t explain why but somehow…” “for some reason” “like”or we sometimes use it to emphasizing the word.
So the translation of the song is
なんかしあわせ means (I can’t explain why (I don’t know why)) but I am somehow happy
wow thank you so much dear maggie sensei. n_n you are the best
マギー先生、
「とか言ってみたりして・・・」は「なんちゃって」と同じニュアンスですか。
「私のお蔭で、なんとかさんは上手になったよね。とか言ってみたりして、へへ。」
@Cygnus
こんにちは、Cygnus! お久しぶり！
そうそう、”とか言ってみたりして” = “なんちゃって”と同じ意味で自分の言ったことを冗談っぽく聞こえさせるために言います。
hello! im a bit confused about when ‘nante’ is at the end of the sentence. like… after a somewhat sentence, he says, なぁんて. is that equivalent to ‘just kidding’ as well? or maybe ‘like this’. eg. watashi mo suki desu, naante.
@rin
Hello rin!
私も好きです。なあんて…(Watashi mo suki desu. Naante..)
→It means “just kidding” not “like this”
Hello Maggie, thanks again for this lesson
(I’m reading it late I know but I need time to assimilate the lessons I read)
I was wondering about the word “なんか” It seems to have a very similar usage; Is it just a derivation ? If so, what nuance does it have?
Thanks in advance and cheers for your EXCELLENT work !
@ジュリアン
Hello ジュリアン！
Welcome to this lesson. (You can study any lesson any time. There is no right order here.:)
Though I have made a mini lesson other usage of なんか, you can replace なんて with なんか
1) when you emphasize the word which comes before なんて（=nante) and express your feelings such as surprise (either positive or negative), disgust, admiration, happiness, disbelief, etc.
2) When you look down, belittle someone or something or lack of confidence.
Ex. 試験なんてきらいだ→試験なんかきらいだ
Ex. お金なんていりません。→お金なんかいりません。
Ex. もう恋なんてしない。→もう恋なんかしない。
But you use なんか right after a noun and you can’t use なんか after an adjective or verb.
彼が私のことを好きだなんてしらなかった。→ X 好きだなんか
こんなに試験が難しいなんて…→ X 難しいなんか
So
彼のことを忘れるなんてことはできない。
This case なんて comes after a verb 忘れる so you can’t replace なんて with なんか but if you say
彼のことを忘れることなんてできない
なんて comes after a noun (忘れること）
You can replace なんて with なんか
彼のことを忘れることなんかできない。
Good question, ジュリアン！
WOW. Your contents are VERY valuable in a world of crazy books and many explanations, none of them useful at all in the real life.
Thanks a lot!
@Darkgaze
I am very happy to hear that! Hope you can learn something here. :)
ありがとうございます。あたし初めてこんなブログにコメントしちゃた、返事もらう事予想しなかった(ななんでだろうね)だから嬉しい(o^^o)♪本当にありがとう
@ナバ
どういたしまして！私も初めてのコメントもらってうれしかったですよ。:)
このサイト本当に役立ってるよ(≧∇≦)
Anyways Is there a tutorial on how/when to use 方法、風、方？Or any other words that mean 「how to」
Example in english→
”I like how you ___”（or I like the way you ____）
”Can you tell me how to do this sum？”
“How is he winning without even trying?!”
@ナバ
こんにちは、ナバ！
このサイトが役に立つと聞いてうれしいです。
”I like how you ___”（or I like the way you ____）
You can use 方 here.
verb + 方
how you do something =〜の やり方=yarikata、し方=shikata
how you play the piano = ピアノの弾き方= Piano no hikikata
how you talk = 話し方= hanashikata
how to do this sum = この合計の出し方= kono goukei no dashikata
******
When you ask a question how people do something,
どうやって(=douyatte)
“How is he winning without even trying?!”
彼はどうやって努力しないで勝っているのだろう？
= Kare douyatte doryoku shinai de katte iru nodarou.
マッギー先生なんて先生は聞いたことありますよ！なんて面白いレッソンなんだろう！
このレッソンをありがとうございます！これからも宜しくお願いします！
@ninipapa
ありがとう！！こちらこそこれからもよろしくね！
(マッギー先生なんて先生は聞いたことありますよ！→Ahhh, good mistake! なんて〜聞いたこと（は）ない (negative sentence) is fine but since it is an affirmative sentence, how about マギー先生のことよく知っていますよ。）
あ、分かりました！教えてくれて、ありがとう！ （＾－＾）
@ninipana
どういたしまして♥
なんて素晴らしいサイトを見つけた。こういう面白いサイトなんて見たことない。
よろしくお願いします。
@江戸川W.
わ〜なんてうれしいコメントなんでしょう♩
こちらこそこれからもよろしくね！:)
Nante hi desu yo!
mou uchi ni kaeritai desu. shigoto de iro iro atta no desu.
Thank you Maggie Sensei! chuu w
@PukiPuki
Hello PukiPuki!! お仕事でいろいろあったみたいですね。(=Oshigoto de iroiro atta mitai desune.)大丈夫！(=Daijoubu!) 明日はきっといい日になりますよ。(=Ashita wa kitto ii hi ni narimasuyo.)
明日は”なんていい日だろう！”って思えます様に。(=Ashita wa “Nante ii hidarou! tte omoe masu you ni!)
Big Chu for you,too!!