Japanese word

そんな

Pronunciation

Romajisonna

Meaning

  • pre-noun adjectivalthat kind of

Example

そんな助けは要りません。so n na tasu ke wa i ri ma se n

I do not need that kind of help.

Illustration for そんな (that kind of)

More examples

そんな冗談はやめてください。so n na jō dan wa ya me te ku da sa i

Please stop making jokes like that.

Core concept

そんな (sonna) marks a noun as belonging to the kind or manner indicated by the context, often with a sense of "that kind of."

Common phrases

  • そんなことso n na ko to

    such a thing

  • そんな人so n na hito

    that kind of person

  • そんな話so n na hanashi

    that kind of story

Similar words

そういうsōiu: Describes a kind or manner already mentioned or understood in the context.
こんなkonna: Describes a kind or manner close to the speaker or directly shown.
あんなanna: Describes a kind or manner viewed as distant from both speaker and listener.

Definition in Japanese

前に話題にしたものや想定しているものと同じ種類・性質であることを表す語。mae ni wa dai ni shi ta mo no ya sō tei shi te i ru mo no to ona ji shu rui sei shitsu de a ru ko to o arawa su go

Word origin

そんな (sonna, "that kind of") is a contracted form of そのような (sono yō na, "of that kind"), combining その (sono, "that") with よう (yō, "kind or manner") and な (na), the form used before a noun.

Usage tips

  • Japanese speakers often use そんなことない (sonna koto nai) to soften or reject a compliment, with the phrase meaning "That is not true" or "Not at all."

Other meanings

  • suchpre-noun adjectival
  • like thatpre-noun adjectival

Word lists with this word