Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 8: 1/22

なんて

Such as, Things like, Emphasis

Notice that なんか generally follows nouns

Structure

Verb + なんて
［い］Adjective + なんて
［な］Adjective + なんて
Noun + なんて(1)

(1) なんか

Details

  • Register

    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About なんか・なんて

なんか is an expression in Japanese that is frequently associated with the adverbial particle など. They are thought to have overlapping meanings in many circumstances, and なんか itself may be considered an adverbial particle. なんて is an extension of this, and may be considered an abbreviation of などという 'to say something like'.
Both なんか and なんて are used in the same way as など, having translations like 'such as', and 'things like' in English. The primary difference between なんか and なんて is that なんて is far more common after 用言(ようげん) (conjugatable words). This includes verbs, い-Adjectives, and な-Adjectives. On the other hand, なんか is almost exclusively used after 体言(たいげん) (unconjugatable words). In other words, nouns.
  • こんな嵐(あらし)の中(なか)走(はし)るなんて、頭(あたま)おかしいんじゃない。
    You are going to do something like run in the storm? You must be crazy.
  • 北海道(ほっかいどう)がこんなに寒(さむ)いなんておもわなかった。
    I didn't think Hokkaido would be this cold or anything.
  • 心配(しんぱい)なんてしている場合(ばあい)じゃない。
    This is no time for things such as worrying.
  • テレビなんか叩(たた)けばだいたい直(なお)るだろ。
    Things like TV's will be fixed most of the time if you hit them, right?
Despite the 体言(たいげん) and 用言(ようげん) tendency, most native speakers will not consider it incorrect to use either なんか or なんて with any type of word.
Fun Fact
Both なんか and なんて are often used to show a low evaluation of the word that they follow. This can come across as humility when used in relation to oneself, or as an insult when used in relation to others.
  • 私(わたし)なんか5年間(ねんかん)スペイン語(ご)の勉強(べんきょう)をしているのにまだ全然(ぜんぜん)会話(かいわ)ができないです。 (Humility)
    I have studied Spanish for 5 years, but I can't speak it at all yet.
  • お前(まえ)なんてどうせ、家(いえ)でゴロゴロしているだけだろ。 (Insult)
    Someone like you probably just loafs around the house, don't you?
Don't let this point stop you from using なんか or なんて though, as many native speakers use it simply to fill the silence in modern Japanese.
  • 酷(ひど)いことを言(い)ったのは分(わ)かるんだけど、なんか、情熱的(じょうねつてき)になって言(い)っちゃった。
    I am aware that I said something mean, but, you know, I said it because I got emotional.

Examples

  • あの強(つよ)いチームに勝(か)つなんて思(おも)わなかった。

    Things like winning against that good team didn't even cross my mind.

  • 紹介(しょうかい)なんていりません。自分(じぶん)で恋人(こいびと)を見(み)つけます。

    I don't need things like referrals. I can find my own lover.

  • 私(わたし)が太(ふと)っているなんて言(い)わないで。

    Don't say things like I am fat.

  • 嘘(うそ)なんかつかないよ。信(しん)じてよ。

    I would never do something like lie to you. Trust me.

  • 雨(あめ)なんかに負(ま)けている場合(ばあい)じゃないですよ。

    Now is not the time to give in to something like rain.

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なんか・なんて – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (4 in total)

  • mrnoone

    mrnoone

    @Johnathan-Weir

    Hey

    Maggie sensei is right, while など and なんて are used with verbs and adjectives なんか is generally used with nouns and なadjectives (that also work as nouns).

    I have fixed the grammar point accordingly. Sorry for the problem and thank you for noticing the error!

    By the way, なんか is also used with て form of the verb in てなんかいない construction which is used for emphasis:

    泣いてなんかいないぞ！目から汗が出たのさ！
    I am not doing something like crying! It’s just my eyes sweating.

    Also, it is more common for なんか to be used with particles like に than なんて.

    雨になんか負けないぞ！
    I won’t lose to something like rain!

  • narfi

    narfi

    It might also be good to capture in the readings that this is covered in DAJG, page 339.

  • mrnoone

    mrnoone

    @narfi
    Hey and welcome on the community forums!

    Added
    Thanks for the feedback!

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