Structure
Verb + なんて
[い]Adjective + なんて
[な]Adjective + なんて
Noun + なんて(1)
(1) なんか
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Standard
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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 (conjugatable words). This includes verbs, い-Adjectives, and な-Adjectives. On the other hand, なんか is almost exclusively used after 体言 (unconjugatable words). In other words, nouns.
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 (conjugatable words). This includes verbs, い-Adjectives, and な-Adjectives. On the other hand, なんか is almost exclusively used after 体言 (unconjugatable words). In other words, nouns.
- こんな嵐の中走るなんて、頭おかしいんじゃない。You are going to do something like run in the storm? You must be crazy.
- 北海道がこんなに寒いなんておもわなかった。I didn't think Hokkaido would be this cold or anything.
- 心配なんてしている場合じゃない。This is no time for things such as worrying.
- テレビなんか叩けばだいたい直るだろ。Things like TV's will be fixed most of the time if you hit them, right?
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.- 私なんか5年間スペイン語の勉強をしているのにまだ全然会話ができないです。 (Humility)I have studied Spanish for 5 years, but I can't speak it at all yet.
- お前なんてどうせ、家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?
- 酷いことを言ったのは分かるんだけど、なんか、情熱的になって言っちゃった。I am aware that I said something mean, but, you know, I said it because I got emotional.
Synonyms
って
As for, Speaking of, Casual は (Sentence topic marker)
Not studied yet
といった
Such as, Like, So much as
Not studied yet
など
Such as, Things like, Etc., And so on
Not studied yet
とか~とか
Among other things, For example, Such as
Not studied yet
こそ
For sure, For certain, Even more so, Underlined or bolded text
Not studied yet
Examples
あの強いチームに勝つなんて思わなかった。
Things like winning against that good team didn't even cross my mind.
紹介なんていりません。自分で恋人を見つけます。
I don't need things like referrals. I can find my own lover.
私が太っているなんて言わないで。
Don't say things like I am fat.
嘘なんかつかないよ。信じてよ。
I would never do something like lie to you. Trust me.
雨なんかに負けている場合じゃないですよ。
Now is not the time to give in to something like rain.
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How to use なんて
MaggieSensei
The particle なんて
Imabi
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Offline
Tae Kim's Grammar Guide
Page 199
Tobira
Page 90
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 247
A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar
Page 339
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なんか・なんて – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (4 in total)
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
It might also be good to capture in the readings that this is covered in DAJG, page 339.
mrnoone
@narfi
Hey and welcome on the community forums!Added
Thanks for the feedback!
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