「てか、なんか、最近忙しいんだよね。」
= Teka, nanka, saikin isogashiin dayone.
= I don’t know why but I’ve been busy, you know.
「ほら見て！私、飛んでるよ！」
= Hora mite! Watashi, tonderu yo!
= Look! I am flying!
「なんか、変！」
= Nanka, hen!
= Something is strange…
Hi everyone!
Today’s guest teacher is Conchita Sensei.
She volunteered to be our guest teacher a long time ago.
お待たせしました！= Omatase shimashita. = Sorry for making you wait!
****
Hi I am Conchita!
I occasionally work for 宅急便（たっきゅうびん）= takyuubin = door-to-door delivery service and deliver fish to the cats in my neighborhood.
I will teach you how to use なんか ( = nanka) today.
1) The casual form of 何か = なにか ( = nanika ) something / anything
Ex. 何（なに）かお手伝いできることはありませんか？
= Nani ka otetsudai dekiru koto wa arimasen ka?
= Is there anything that I can do to help you?
→(casual speech)
* 何（なん）か手伝うことない？
= Nanka tetsudau koto nai?
Note: Since the kanji 何 can be read both なに ( = nani) and なん ( = nan), I will use hiragana from here on out.
Ex. 今、なんか言った？
= Ima, nanka itta ?
= Did you just say something?
Ex. なんかあったの？
= Nanka atta no?
= Has anything happened?
= What is wrong? / What happened?
Ex. なにか食べるものはありませんか？
= Nani ka taberu mono wa arimasen ka?
→(casual speech)
* なんか食べるものない？
= Nanka taberu mono nai?
= Is there anything to eat?
Ex. 京都に行くけど、なんか欲しいものある？
= Kyoutou ni iku kedo, nanka hoshii mono aru?
= I am going to Kyoto. Do you want anything (from there)?
Ex. あそこになんかいる*よ。
= Asoko ni nanka iru yo.
= There is something over there.
(* いる ( = iru) is for living things but なんか ( = nanka) is rude to use for people. You say 誰か ( = dare ka) )
2) to express unexplainable feelings / somehow / kind of / a little ~ / for some reason (being ambiguous/ when you try to find the right word
★From the picture above
「なんか、変！」
＝ Nanka, hen!
= Something is strange…
Ex. 彼女、なんか綺麗になったね。
= Kanojo, nanka kirei ni nattane.
= She looks pretty these days for some reason.
Ex. なんか、感じ変わった？髪型かなあ。
= Nanka, kanji kawatta? Kamigata kanaa.
= You look different somehow. I wonder it’s your hairdo.
Ex. 彼が最近なんか冷たいんだよね。
= Kare ga saikin nanka tsumetain dayone.
= I don’t know why but he (or my boyfriend) is kind of cold towards me.
Ex. 来月、大学を卒業するって考えただけでなんか、悲しくなってきた。
= Raigetsu, daigaku wo sotsugyou surutte kangaeta dake de nanka, kanashiku natte kita.
= Just thinking about going to graduate from the university next month makes me feel sad for some reason.
Ex. 今日はなんかウケないなあ。
= Kyou wa nanka ukenai naa.
= Nobody is laughing at my jokes today for some reason.
★From the picture above:
「てか、なんか、最近忙しいんだよね。」
= Teka, nanka, saikin isogashiin dayone.
= You know I’ve been busy for some reason.
Note: てか ( = teka) is a very colloquial word which came from と言うか ( = to iu ka)
You also say つうか ( = tsuuka) / つーか( =tsuuka) in casual Japanese speech.
It originally means “in other words” / ”How should I put it…”/ “I mean” /My point is…
Casual usage: You often start a sentence without any connection to one’s previous speech. →“You know”
なんか ( = nanka) here means “I don’t know why but…. / for some reason”
Ex. なんか、気持ち悪くなってきた。
= Nanka, kimochi waruku natte kita.
= I am getting a little sick.
Ex. なんか、お腹すいた。
= Nanka, onaka suita.
= I am getting a little hungry.
Ex. なんか、疲れた。
= Nanka, tsukareta.
= I’m kinda tired.
Ex. なんか、ムカつく！(colloquial)
= Nanka, mukatsuku!
= It’s kinda annoying. / I’m kinda pissed off.
Ex. なんかごめんなさい。(conversational)
= Nanka gomennasai.
= I am kind of sorry/ I kind of feel bad.
Note: Sometimes you say that when you don’t think it is all your fault but you want to say “sorry” anyway.
「今、Conchitaのためにサプライズパーティーの支度をしているんだよ。」
= Ima, Conchita no tame ni sapuraizu paatii no shitaku wo shiteirun dayo.
= We are working on a surprise party for Conchita now.
「なんか、すごいことになってるね。」
= Nanka, sugoi koto ni natterune.
= Wow… It kinda looks amazing, isn’t it?
Note: The translation of すごいこと ( = sugoi koto) changes depending on the context. It could be used negatively as well.
Ex. 「あの二人、最近、あまり一緒にいるの見ないね。」
= Ano futari, saikin, amari issho ni iru no minaine.
= I don’t see them together lately.
「なんか先月、別れたみたいだよ。」
= Nanka sengetsu wakareta mitai dayo.
= (I am not sure but) it seems that they broke up last month.
3) noun + なんか ( = nanka) : When you belittle something, someone or express your strong emotion, emphasize what comes before in a negative way
(It is usually used in a negative sentence or negative words.)
Since it also has a belittling function to it, be careful how you use it.
Ex.あんな高いレストランなんか行かない。
= Anna takai resutorann nanka ikanai.
= There is no way that I would go such an expensive restaurant.
It shows your strong negative emotions and it might hurt someone’s feelings.
Ex. 彼氏なんかいらない。
= Kareshi nanka iranai.
= I DON’T need/want a boyfriend.
(You can also say 彼氏なんて = kareshi nante)
Ex. 言い訳なんか聞きたくもない。
= Iiwake nanka kikitaku mo nai.
= I don’t want to hear your excuses.
(You can also say 言い訳なんて = iiwake nante)
Ex. 誕生日なのにラーメンなんか食べたくない。
= Tanjoubi nanoni raamen nanka tabetaku nai.
= It’s my birthday. I don’t want to eat ramen.
(You can also say ラーメンなんて = ramen nante)
Ex. いい歳してアニメなんか見ないよ。
= Ii toshi shite anime nanka minai yo.
= I am an adult. I do not watch anime.
(You can also say アニメなんて = anime nante)
Ex. 浮気なんかしないよ。
= Uwaki nanka shinai yo.
= There is no way that I would cheat on you.
(You can also say 浮気なんて = uwaki nante)
Ex. たかし君なんか知らない！
= Takashi kun nanka shiranai!
= I don’t care about you anymore, Takashi!
(You can also say たかし君なんて = Takashi kun nante)
Note: 知らない (= shiranai) means “I don’t know” but in this case, the speaker obviously knows him and feds up with him.
Ex. もう弟と喧嘩なんかしちゃだめだよ。
= Mou otouto to kenka nanka shicha dame dayo.
= Don’t fight with your little brother anymore, OK?
(You can also say 喧嘩なんて = kenka nante)
Note: Mitsu-Sensei made a lesson on なんて( = nante) before.
As it is mentioned in the lesson, なんて ( = nante) and なんか ( = nanka) are sometimes interchangeable when it comes after a noun. （なんか( = nanka) expresses stronger emoion than なんて ( = nante))
:i: The difference: You can’t use なんて( = nante) before a particle.
Ex. こんなに忙しいのに、友達の家なんかに行って遊んでいる時間はない。
= Konnani isogashii noni, tomodachi no ie nanka ni itte asonde iru jikan wa nai.
= I am so busy that I have no time to go visit my friend.
( X You can’t use なんて ( = nante)
Ex. この木は、はさみなんかで切れないよ。
= Kono ki wa, hasami nanka de kirenai yo.
= You can’t cut this tree with scissors.
( X You can’t use なんて ( = nante)
Ex. あいつなんかに負けてたまるか。(male speech/rough)
= Aitsu nanka ni makete tamaru ka.
= I am not going to lose to him (her).
( X You can’t use なんて ( = nante)) Note: たまるか ( = tamaruka) Check this lesson. たまらない
4) and so on, for example (giving examples) / something/someone like~ / like ~
The conversational form of など ( = nado)
You also use this form to soften the sentence avoiding the straightforward expression.
Ex. そのシャツにはこのネクタイなんか合うんじゃない？
= Sono shatsu niwa kono nekutai nanka aun janai?
= I think this necktie goes well with that shirt. What do you think?
(You can also say このネクタイなんて= kono nekutai nante) )
Ex. これなんか彼女のプレゼントにどう？
= Kore nanka kanojo no purezento ni dou?
= How about this one for a gift to your girlfriend?
Note: こちらなんか ( = kochira nanka) → Polite way: こちらなど ( = kochira nado)
Ex. 「誰か、いい人紹介してよ。」
= Dare ka ii hito shoukai shite yo.
= Set me up with someone nice.
「隼人君なんかどう？」
= Hayato kun nanka dou?
= How about (a boy like) Hayato-kun?
( You can also say なんて ( = nante) )
* noun + か ( = ka) + なんか ( = nanka)
Ex. ビールかなんかある？
= Biiru ka nan ka aru?
= Do you have some beer or something?
If you say ビールある？ ( = Biiru aru? ) You are specifically asking for beer but by adding なんか ( = nanka), you can give the listener more choices.
5) to use なんか ( = nanka) after a subject or main topics: like ~
When you talk about something related to the topics.
Ex. 「新しいイタリアンの店、入るまでに３０分かかったんだ。」
= Atarashii itarian no mise, hairumade ni sanjuppun kakattanda.
= I had to wait thirty minutes to get in the new Italian restaurant.
「私なんか一時間も待ったよ。」
= Watashi nanka ichijikan mo matta yo.
= (As for me) I waited good one hour.
(You can also say なんて ( = nante))
Ex. 「寒いね。」
= Samui ne.
= It’s cold, isn’t it?
「本当！昨日なんか窓が凍ってたもん。」
= Hontou! Kinou nanka mado ga kootteta mon.
= You can say that again. Like yesterday, the window was frozen.
Note: 凍っていたもの ( = kootte ita mono)
→ casual contraction 凍ってたもん ( = kootteta mon)
(You can also say なんて ( = nante))
6) to start a conversation with なんか ( = nanka) putting your thoughts together.
Ex. なんかさあ、最近、彼女とうまくいっていないんだよね。
= Nanka saa, saikin, kanojo to umaku itte inain dayone.
= You know, things are not working so well with my girlfriend.
Ex. なんかさあ、遠距離恋愛って大変だよね。
= Nanka saa, enkyori ren’ai tte taihen dayone.
= You know, long distance love is hard, isn’t it?
Ex. 「どうしたの？ 元気ないね。」
= Doushita no? Genki naine.
= Are you OK? You seem kind of down.
「なんかねえ、いろいろあってね。」
= Nanka nee, iroiro attene.
= Well, I have been through a lot, you know.
Ex. 「どう？今日のお味噌汁、美味しい？」
= Dou? Kyou no omisoshiru, oishii?
= How’s today’s miso soup? Is it good? (Do you like it?)
「なんかなあ。」
= Nanka naa.
= Hmm how should I put it..
******
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie SenseiConchita 先生ありがとう！
= Conchita sensei arigatou!
= Thank you, Conchita Sensei!
次はうちにお魚を届けてね。
= Tsugi wa uchi ni osakana wo todokete ne.
= Please deliver fish to my house next.
みなさん、日本語の勉強にマギー先生のサイトなんかどう？
= Minasan, nihongo no benkyou ni Maggie Sensei no saito nanka dou?
= How about a site like Maggie Sensei’s site to study Japanese, everyone?
****
Just started Patreon to keep our site.
I appreciate your support! サポートありがとう！
My supporters can access an audio file for this lesson on my Pateron page and some mini lessons and quiz.
59 Comments
マギー先生、can you use なんか to convey “some kind of”? 辞書で「何らか」を見つけたけど例文一つもないから使い方のことはなんか疑わしいんです。In a context like I can’t remember the name of the specific fish used, but want to say “You boil some kind of fish for the stock.” 「何らかの魚」がいいです？「なんか魚」もいいの？
Hi Terry again
何らかの means “some/any, some sort of, some kind of ~ ”
It is a formal expression often used in written or formal language.
何らかの原因/理由 = for some reason
Ex. 彼らは何らかの原因で別れた。
= They broke up for some reason.
Ex. 何らかの理由で電車が遅れた。
= The train was delayed for some reason.
何らかの形 = in some way
何らかの形でお礼がしたいです。
= I would like to express my gratitude in some form.
You can rephrase it with なにかの (or more causal なんかの)
何らかの魚→何かの魚(conversational) →なんかの魚（more conversational)
そうですか。So would it sound weird to use 何らか when politely talking to someone unfamiliar in person? Or 何か is better?
Since you say it’s a formal expression, does it not sound weird in your examples which are casual speech?
->Ex. 何らかの理由で電車が遅れた。
Is it one of those things that sounds okay in writing but you wouldn’t speak it? ありがとうこざいます！
You may hear 何らか on the news or see it in the newspaper and you use 何か more in conversation but you can use 何らかの理由で in casual speech as well.
Hello maggie sensei!
as far as I know, nandaka can also mean “I don’t know why but..” just like nanka. is there a difference between the two?
Hi Matthew,
Yes, that’s right. You can also say “なんだか” when you are not sure why
Ex. なんか悲しい = Nandaka kanashii
Ex. なんだか悲しい = Nandaka kanashii
= I don’t know why but I am sad. / I am kind of sad.
They mean almost the same.
thank you very much <3
Anytime! :)
In the lesson it states that:
“The difference: You can’t use なんて( = nante) **after** a particle.”
However, the examples seem to show that you can’t use なんて **before** a particle? Possibly a typo?
Hi Frappucchino
Oh… 😲 you are right. Thank you for spotting the mistake. I will fix it. ありがとう！
Hello Maggie Sensei!
I have been loving your lessons so far and cannot thank you enough for making them, my Japanese has improved so much with this site!
I just have a small question about one of the sentences:
本当！昨日なんか窓が凍ってたもん。
I simply do not understand the use of もん in this sentence, could you please briefly explain it to me?
Thank you in advance!
Hello FluffyBooks
First thank you so much for your kind words. I am very happy to hear your Japanese has improved a lot.
もん is a casual suffix and it is originally from もの and you use it to give a reason or express your feelings such as surprise or irritation.
昨日なんか窓が凍ってたもの。(It sounds slightly feminine ) →(casual) 〜凍ってたもん
In this case, talking about the cold weather giving an example with surprised feelings.
I explained a little in this lesson. Check だって
Thank you Maggie-Sensei for all your efforts. To my question:
来月、大学を卒業するって考えただけでなんか、悲しくなってきた
For what is って used here and is it here an abbreviation of と、という、ということと聞いた、といっている or something else?
Is the って hier a fact or something else?
And has でも （お茶でも飲もうか）the same meaning as なんか （お茶なんか飲もうか） and is it interchangeable?
Hello Sam,
来月、大学を卒業するって考えただけでなんか、悲しくなってきた
This って is と (to quote)
大学を卒業すると考えただけで
You might want to read my other lesson, How to use って. Link is here.
And the usage of でも is this link. (How to use でも）
You can use なんか instead of でも but I would say
お茶かなにか飲もうか？
The translation could be the same “something like tea” but the nuance is slightly different.
お茶でも tea (giving a specific example but it sounds softer than お茶を飲もうか）
お茶かなにか something such as tea
Thank you for your answer. I will watch both lessons later. May I ask a further question? Who are we quoting in this particular sentence?
The speaker/writer is thinking about it in his/her head.
So it is not an actual speech. Quoting an idea.
Thank you!! Keep up the good work! You are really awesome!
My pleasure and Thank you! 🐶❤️
I’m reading something where a character is thinking to himself about what to do on his day off, and he thinks 「なんかメシでも買って・・・」 but I can’t figure out if I should read that as “I could buy rice or something” or “I could do something like buy rice” or something else entirely. Can you help, please?
Hi Avram,
That って… is “and” The speaker is thinking what to do after buy something to eat.
I’ll buy something to eat and (then…..)
Hi Maggie sensei, I have a question
なんかお手伝位できる事はありますか？
なんか手伝う事ない？
In the casual second sentence ない is used, but in the first sentence ある(あります) is used. Can it be used ある in the second sentence and ない in the first sentence?
Hi MilkTea
Ah, it was confusing huh?
Yes, you can also say なんか手伝うことある？ They mean the same.
ありますか？ →ある？
ないですか？ →ない？
Maybe I should change the example sentence but they mean the same.
I know this might be an old post, but this website has been really helpful for my Japanese studies. I was just curious about one thing though.
–> こんなに忙しい「のに」、友達の家なんかに行って遊んでいる時間はない
Why was のに used here? From one of the previous lessons discussed here, I assumed that のに is used to show contradiction like “Even though I studied, I failed”, but I don’t see the contradiction in this sentence though. Could you elaborate?
Hello JP Arcilla
I’m glad to hear you found this site helpful.
That example sentence こんなに忙しいのに、〜遊んでいる時間はない might be easy to understand if I change the sentence a little.
忙しいのに友達の家に遊びに行く・行った
In this case you give two contradicted facts.
being busy ⇄going out
So even if this speaker didn’t go visit the friend, there is still contradicted elements.
Also のに has a function to emphasize what comes before.
I am SO busy that I don’t have time to go visit my friend.
Hi マギー先生、
i noticed in the comments of the なんて lesson someone asked if you could use なんて with other particles
and you said
” 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. ”
but in this なんか lesson you said you can’t use it after a particle.
Does it have to do with how you translate the なんて?
Hello Milk,
the example below should visualize you, what Maggie meant:
はさみなんかで切れない =>O
はさみでなんか切れない =>O
はさみでなんて切れない =>O
はさみなんてで切れない =>X
ヨロシク
Ah i see!
thank you 天人さん。
とんでもないよ！
日本語の勉強、頑張りや～
hello sensei, thank you so much for the lesson
however i met some kind of sentence like this
なんか ざんげ室にいるみたい
could i change nanka into nante?
if cant why is that so?
also is 私 seems to be at before なんか ? cause i found this sentence on anime
Hello Melon,
In this case なんか means “for some reason/somehow” and you can’t change なんか with なんて。
私 is omitted but it it the feelings of the speaker. ((私)、なんかざんげ室にいるみたい。）
Hi maggie sensei,
I’ve come across your site quite often while studying Japanese over the last few years and it’s always been a great help! I have a pretty specific question which I was hoping you could answer this time.
In the Radwimps song [リユニオン], there is a line that goes “青春の日々なんか どんなかは知らないけど”.
In this case, what would be the meaning of the sentence and why usage of なんか is this? Thank you!
Hello ラィアン,
That なんか is to belittle what comes before.
So it has a nuance of “whatever”
I don’t know if it’s 〜 or whatever.
Hi sensei,
What about 何かで? 何かへ? 何かに?
I saw a sample question for jlpt N5 and it goes like : たまごりょうりの上手な作りかたを (___) 読みました。 Why is the answer 何かで and not 何かへ, 何かに?
Thank you~~~
Hi Shin
When you see that kind of questions, you can guess the correct answer from the particle after 何か
Aを本「で」読みました。
I have read A in a book.
You don’t say
本に読む (に for 1) indicate the location for some existence 2) indirect object)
本へ読む (へ for direction)
Hi again Maggie-sensei,
I feel like there is a never ending supply of these great lessons. How many of these lessons are there in total? :)
I have a question about なんか usage. I am a little confused about two different usages of なんか.
Meaning #1. Somehow, for some reason
(来月、大学を卒業するって考えただけでなんか、悲しくなってきた。)
Meaning #2. Kind of, a little bit
(なんか、気持ち悪くなってきた。)
How do I know when a sentence means #1, and when it means #2? Is “context” the only way to determine the meaning? If so, that’s なんか難しい for me.
For example, for the sentence below, it could either mean “Today I am tired for some reason”, or “Today I am a bit tired”.
今日、なんか疲れた。
Hello again, Dennis
I see. There is a fine line between those two usages. I think it is similar to the difference between “somehow” and “kind of” in English.
なんか気持ち悪い could be
#1 I feel somehow sick. (I don’t know why but I feel sick.)
#2 I feel kind of sick. (I feel a little sick. )
Depending on how the speaker feels.
#1. Somehow, for some reason
Basically you use it when you talk about something unexplainable.
You don’t know why you feel that way or
#2.
a little (You are talking about degree of some state)
今日、なんか疲れた。
Right. It could be use for both cases, I am a bit tired. / I don’t know why but I am tired.
Hi Maggie-sensei,
I have a question about なんかversus は in one of the examples you gave.
In this example:
「新しいイタリアンの店、入るまでに３０分かかったんだ。」
「私なんか一時間も待ったよ。」
Is there any difference in nuance between the above sentence and 「私は一時間も待ったよ。」？Thanks!
Hi Questioner!
「私は一時間も待ったよ。」 is simply state “I waited ONE hour.”
「私なんか一時間も待ったよ。」 by using なんか、you emphasize what comes before or giving an example,
→In MY case, it took me ONE hour to get in the restaurant.
なるほど！So would「私など一時間も待ったよ。」also have the same meaning?
(I replied to the last time, sorry)
「私など一時間も待ったよ。」
なんか is much more casual than など.
Since this speech is pretty casual など~ 待ったよ,may sound slightly unnatural but it is possible.
こんばんは先生!
I have some question:
1.「なんかねえ、いろいろあってね。」
Since its in the past, why not あったね?
Im confused
2.「なんかなあ。」this is male speach?
Thisなあ is also used when we wish something or envy someone?
Is there a lesson on it? Im still confused about its function.
Thanks in advance
Hi, Kuroineko!
1. If the speaker and the listener are sharing the same memories, they could say いろいろあったね = We have been through many things. (Many things happened to us.)
You know the function of て right?
Vて = and / because
This いろいろあってね implies いろいろあって(+ what happened / how the speaker felt Ex. 大変だった）
Ex. いろいろあって大変だったんだよね→いろいろあってね。
2. Yes, I do have a lesson. Check this http://142.93.68.150/2015/12/07/how-to-use-the-suffix-%E3%80%9C%E3%81%AA-na-%E3%81%AA%E3%81%82-naa/
It is not a male speech. Women use it,too.
Hello Kuroineko,
1. Unfinished sentences in Japanese are very common. It’s because the speaker wants you to read between the lines, as Maggie many times mentioned. Of course the sentence, although the ～て form, implies the past.
なんかねえ、いろいろあってね。=> Well, many things happened, you know (the speaker lets the sentence unfinished because he/she doesn’t want to talk what happened and at the same time he/she doesn’t want to say directly “I don’t want to talk about that” because that might hurt your feelings).
2. Part. な has many functions. Besides prohibition, seeking confirmation, admiration or emotional expressions, it implies also pure emphasis.
In this sentence part. な you can translate as: well…; you know…
And yes, な is normally male speech, but it’s not a rule.
ヨロシク
遅かったな、わたし・・・
ありがとう for helping Kuroineko!
頼りになる〜💕
マギー先生、ありがとう！
as usual u helped me alot.
I understand now.
I will checkなあ lesson.
Thanks again^^
どういたしまして！
And Thank you, 天人 for your help,too!
なるほど！So would「私など一時間も待ったよ。」also have the same meaning?
(I replied to the wrong comment last time*****, sorry)
hi sensei
the boyfriend first asked if she was really listening to him and she said she was. Then he said this
だってすごくどうでもよさそう. 君は余裕ある. うふふ
Then she says those sentences
余裕なんてない. どうでもよくなんかないよ
is it a bit clearer now?
Ah I see. Then どうでもよくなんかないよ means “It is NOT true that I don’t care.”
Either way, they both negate what her boyfriend said expressing her emotion.
Hello sensei!
I have a question about the function of なんか and なんて in these sentences. I’ll explain the context briefly.
A girl is talking to her boyfriend over the phone. He then tells her that her voice sounds too quiet and monotonous and says that she sounds like she doesn’t care about what he’s saying. Btw he’s not angry, he’s just teasing her and being playful. Then we see her, she looks pretty happy and nervous and she replies to him by saying these sentences. I translated them like this:
余裕なんてない (I’m not calm at all)
どうでもよくなんかないよ! (There’s no way that I don’t care!)
I think なんか and なんて are used to emphasize the negative sentences even more, is it right? Or is she trying to belittle the words that come before なんか and なんて? Or do なんか and なんて have another function here? My doubt is over the fact that she says these sentences while being happy indeed, so I know she’s not emphasizing negative feelings (like disgust).
Thanks!
Hi Chii
余裕なんてない
In this case, there is no negative meaning but it emphasizes what comes before, 余裕
The literal translation →There is no such a thing as 余裕
余裕がない
= I am too preoccupied with something/ too busy and there is no “headspace” to think about other things.
どうでもよくなんかない This なんか emphasizes どうでもいい
I don’t know the context but the person who the speaker must have said
どうでもいい = I don’t care.
or
どうでもいいと思っているんでしょ = I bet you don’t care.
So the speaker strongly negate what he/she just heard.
That is not the case!
Sensei sorry to bother one more time, it’s the last one
You said 余裕 would be “headspace” right? Looking on a dictionary I knew that 余裕 refers to “space” or margin/resource, but when it comes to emotions, does it mean something like “composure” ? The dictionary says that, and in the context I showed I think it means lack of composure (since she looks flustered) rather than lack of headspace to think about sth?/
lack of composure means “落ち着きがない・冷静さを欠く”
It’s true that the original translation, “I am not calm” fits that translation better.
I think it is the result of someone is 余裕がない.
If you are too preoccupied with something and can’t think of other things/deals with other things, they may ends up losing composure.
Hello Maggie-sensei
I’m new to your site but not new to studying Japanese, and I must say you’re awesome for making the lessons fun and enjoyable! They’re also really easy to understand and make me persevere in learning!
I have a question though if it’s okay, regarding the ‘mo’ particle, like in your example above:
言い訳なんか聞きたくもない
If the ‘mo’ is removed and becomes
言い訳なんか聞きたくない
Does the context change? Because I think it’s still the same or does it just add nuance to the expression? Truth is I’m still quite confused with how the ‘mo’s particle is used.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Summer! Welcome to my site!
Good question.
も has many functions but in this case, it emphasizes the meaning.
~たくもない is much stronger than たくない and も here can be translated as “even”.
聞きたくない
= I don’t want to hear ~
聞きたくもない
= I don’t even want to hear ~
なんかさあ、このサイトはいつも役に立つです。
ありがとう！ ギレルメ💕
（一つだけ直しますね〜 →役に立つです→役に立ちます）