なんて[nante]: such/what/how

September 11, 2020

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There are two types of “なんて”.

The first is derived from “などと”. It means “such“ and it is used to emphasize the noun that is put before “なんて”. It is used to give an example, to be humble, or to look down on something. It is interchangeable with “なんか” in many cases. If you're interested in “なんか”, please click HERE

The second is derived from “何(なん)という”. It means “what/how” and it is used to emphasize your surprise/impression/disappointment, or just to say ”what” or ”how”.

Ken and Leo are talking about learning languages.

  • Ken: I’m thinking about learning foreign languages. I want to be able to speak Japanese fluently or something... because I like Asian cultures.
    外国語を勉強しようかと思っている。アジアの文化が好きだから、日本語なんて(orなんか)話せたらいいね。
  • Leo:You can speak Japanese enough for everyday conversation, right?
    日常会話程度ならできるでしょ？
  • Ken: No way! My Japanese still has a long way to go.
    まさか！僕なんて(orなんか)、まだまだだよ。
  • Leo: Mike told me that he has learned to speak Japanese fluently in just 3 months.
    マイクは3カ月でペラペラになったって。
  • Ken: What? How did he learn it? You shouldn’t believe such a stupid story!
    はっ？どうやって？そんなバカげた話なんて(orなんか)、信じるなよ！
Meg got flowers from the guy she likes.

  • Meg: Tom gave me flowers for my birthday! I’ve never got flowers from a guy before.
    トムが誕生日に花束をくれたの！生まれて初めてだよ。
  • Amy: How kind he is!
    なんて優しい人なの！
  • Meg: I don’t know how to thank him.
    なんてお礼を言ったらいいのか（、わからないよ）。

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Related posts:

  1. なんか[nanka]: sort/kind of
  2. The difference between "途中" and "最中"
  3. イケてる[ike teru]: be cool
  4. 話半分に聞く[hanashi hanbun ni kiku]: take something with a grain of salt
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