And so on, the likes of: 〜など・〜なんか
Noun + など / なんか
Noun + など / なんか: listing, suggesting tactfully, playing yourself down or denying forcefully. など is polite and written, なんか spoken and casual.
In short
You know など for “etc.”. It's also used to suggest tactfully (お茶などいかがですか, “some tea, perhaps?”), to play yourself down out of modesty (私などにはできません), or to dismiss something (うそなんかついていない, “I didn't lie, not at all”). など is neutral and polite; なんか is its spoken version.
- お飲み物は、お茶などいかがですか。おのみものは、おちゃなどいかがですか。Would you care for something to drink — some tea, perhaps?
- 私などには、こんな難しい仕事はできません。わたしなどには、こんなむずかしいしごとはできません。Someone like me couldn't possibly do such a difficult job.
- うそなんかついてないよ！うそなんかついてないよ！I didn't lie at all!
The basics
など means “things like that”. By mentioning something as “one among others”, you make it less direct. That's why など is used to suggest politely (you're not pushing), to talk modestly about yourself (I'm just one among many) or to dismiss something (“that sort of thing”).
Someone like me couldn't possibly do such a difficult job.
- noun
- particle
- verb
- 京都では、お寺や神社などを見ました。きょうとでは、おてらやじんじゃなどをみました。In Kyoto, I saw temples, shrines and so on.
Four uses
The meaning depends on the sentence: a list, a suggestion, yourself, or a negative.
| Use | など (polite) | なんか (spoken) |
|---|---|---|
| listing | お茶やお菓子など | お茶とかお菓子なんか |
| suggesting | お茶などいかがですか | お茶なんかどう？ |
| playing yourself down | 私などにはできません | 私なんかにはできない |
| dismissing, denying | うそなどついていません | うそなんかついてない |
- 週末、お茶なんかどう？しゅうまつ、おちゃなんかどう？Fancy a cup of tea this weekend?
- ご質問などありましたら、お知らせください。ごしつもんなどありましたら、おしらせください。If you have any questions or anything else, please let us know.
The emphatic negative
With a negative verb, など / なんか denies forcefully and a little dismissively: “not at all”, “not in the least”. You reject the very idea.
- あんな人の言うことなんか、信じない。あんなひとのいうことなんか、しんじない。I don't believe a word that guy says.
- 怖くなんかないよ。こわくなんかないよ。I'm not scared at all!
など, なんか, なんて, とか
など is the most polite: you find it in emails, announcements, and from waiters. なんか and なんて are spoken; なんて is more emotional and easily follows a clause. とか lists without judging. Talking about yourself in front of a superior, 私など is fine; 私なんか sounds too casual.
| Form | Register | Colouring |
|---|---|---|
| など | polite, written | neutral, modest |
| なんか | spoken | dismissive, belittling |
| なんて | spoken | surprise, contempt |
| とか | spoken | vague list |
Common mistakes
- Saying 私なんか in front of a superior or a customer: choose 私など, which is more polite.
- Thinking など always means “etc.”: in お茶などいかがですか, there's no list; it's a polite suggestion.
- Using なんか for other people's things (あなたの料理なんか): it sounds contemptuous.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N3 point is on the Keihan Line (Media and communication) of the Kyoto lines.