The likes of, fancy that: 〜なんて
Noun / plain form + なんて
Noun / plain form + なんて: an emotional reaction (surprise, contempt, modesty) to what precedes. Also = などと in a quotation. Spoken register.
In short
なんて highlights what comes before in order to react with emotion: surprise (こんなところで会うなんて！), contempt or disbelief (幽霊なんていない), modesty (私なんて). It also replaces などと in a quotation (行かないなんて言わないで). It's a spoken word, and its tone depends heavily on context.
- 幽霊なんているわけがない。ゆうれいなんているわけがない。There's no such thing as ghosts.
- 一人で夜の山に行くなんて、危ないよ。ひとりでよるのやまにいくなんて、あぶないよ。Going into the mountains alone at night? That's dangerous!
- こんなところで先生に会うなんて、びっくりした。こんなところでせんせいにあうなんて、びっくりした。Bumping into my teacher here — what a surprise!
The basics
なんて comes from などと (“things like…”). It points at what precedes it and says: “that, honestly!”. Depending on the tone, it's surprise, admiration, irritation or contempt — rather like English “fancy…!”, “the very idea of…”, “the likes of…”. The sentence that follows often gives the verdict: 危ない, びっくりした, 信じられない.
Going into the mountains alone at night? That's dangerous!
- verb
- particle
- adjective
- あの人が先生だなんて、信じられない。あのひとがせんせいだなんて、しんじられない。Him, a teacher? I can't believe it.
How to form it
After a noun, なんて attaches directly. After a clause, use the plain form; for a noun or a な-adjective at the end of the clause, keep だ (先生だなんて).
| Construction | Example | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + なんて | 幽霊なんて | that kind of thing (contempt, disbelief) |
| plain form + なんて | 会うなんて | reaction to a fact (surprise) |
| Noun / な-adj + だ + なんて | 先生だなんて | “to think that it's…” |
| 〜なんて言う・思う | 行かないなんて言わないで | quotation (= などと) |
- 行かないなんて言わないで、一緒に行こうよ。いかないなんていわないで、いっしょにいこうよ。Don't say you're not coming — come with us!
Surprise, contempt, modesty
The same word can admire or belittle. About an unexpected fact: surprise. About something you consider worthless: contempt (“homework, honestly…”). About yourself: modesty (私なんて, “oh, me…”).
- こんなにきれいな庭が見られるなんて、来てよかった。こんなにきれいなにわがみられるなんて、きてよかった。To be able to see such a beautiful garden… I'm glad I came.
- 宿題なんて、やりたくない。しゅくだいなんて、やりたくない。Homework — honestly, I can't be bothered.
- 私なんて、まだまだです。わたしなんて、まだまだです。Oh, me? I've still got a long way to go.
なんて, なんか, など
All three share the same root. など is the most neutral and polite. なんか is its spoken equivalent, mostly after a noun. なんて is the most emotional and can follow a whole clause (会うなんて), which なんか rarely does.
| Form | Register | After a clause? |
|---|---|---|
| など | polite, written | rare (〜などと言う) |
| なんか | spoken | rare |
| なんて | spoken, emotional | yes: 会うなんて |
Common mistakes
- Talking about other people's tastes with なんて: あなたの音楽なんて… sounds contemptuous and easily hurts.
- Forgetting だ after a noun at the end of a clause: 先生だなんて, not 先生なんて, when you mean “to think he's a teacher”.
- Using it in formal writing: go back to など or などと.
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.