Japanese word

なんて

Pronunciation

Romajinante

Meaning

  • adverbwhat a ___!

Example

なんてすてきな日でしょう！na n te su te ki na hi de shō

What a lovely day!

Illustration for なんて (what a ___!)

More examples

彼はなんて親切なのでしょう。kare wa na n te shin setsu na no de shō

How kind he is!

Core concept

It presents a following idea as striking in its own right or as one representative case among others.

Common phrases

  • なんてすばらしい景色na n te su ba ra shi i keshiki

    what a wonderful view

  • なんて親切な人na n te shin setsu na hito

    what a kind person

Similar words

なんとnanto: Presents a quality or situation as remarkable and expresses strong surprise about it.
どんなにdonnani: Indicates that a quality or condition is present to a very high degree.

Definition in Japanese

ある内容を目立たせて感情を強く示したり、同じ種類のものの一例として示したりする語。a ru nai yō o me da ta se te kan jō o tsuyo ku shime shi ta ri ona ji shu rui no mo no no ichi rei to shi te shime shi ta ri su ru go

Word origin

The exclamatory なんて (nante) developed as a shortened form of なんという (nan to iu, "what kind of"), a phrase used to intensify a description.

Usage tips

  • Beginners may confuse なんて (nante) with a question word, but in an exclamation it introduces the speaker's reaction rather than requesting an answer.

Other meanings

  • things like ___particle

Word lists with this word