なんて / なんか: 'Things Like' and Downplaying (N5 Grammar)
Attitude, not information
Japanese has a small family of words for picking out a loose example or downplaying it: なんか and なんて. They attach to a noun (and なんて can follow a plain verb too) to say "things like X," but the real job is tone. なんか makes a statement vaguer and gentler; なんて adds a feeling — usually scorn, modesty, or surprise. Because they carry attitude, both belong to casual, everyday speech, not formal writing. Compare the three at a glance:
ヤッタンはなんか疲れた。
ヤッタンは なんか つかれた。
Yattan is kind of tired.
なんか here = 'kind of,' softening the whole feeling.
お茶なんかどう？
おちゃなんか どう？
How about some tea or something?
なんか offers tea as one loose example.
モチは宿題なんて嫌いだ。
モチは しゅくだいなんて きらいだ。
Mochi hates things like homework.
なんて adds a dismissive 'stuff like.'
Where each one attaches
Both usually sit right after a noun. なんて can also follow a plain-form verb to mean "(the idea) that…":
| You have | Add | Result | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noun (お茶) | なんか | お茶なんか | tea or something / things like tea |
| Noun (宿題) | なんて | 宿題なんて | such things as homework (often dismissive) |
| Plain verb (勝つ) | なんて | 勝つなんて | the idea of winning |
| Adjective / feeling | なんか (before it) | なんか疲れた | kind of tired |
The placement is a useful tell: as a softener, なんか often floats at the start of a phrase (なんか疲れた), while as an "example" word it follows the noun (お茶なんか). なんて almost always follows what it comments on.
なんか: hedging and casual examples
Used before a feeling or verb, なんか works like English "kind of" or "somehow." Used after a noun, it offers a casual example — "…or something."
今日はなんか元気がない。
きょうは なんか げんきが ない。
I'm kind of low-energy today.
なんか hedges the statement — not fully committed.
週末は映画なんか見たいな。
しゅうまつは えいがなんか みたいな。
On the weekend I kind of want to watch a movie or something.
映画なんか = 'a movie or the like.'
なんか is also one of the most common casual fillers, like English "like" or "um." ヤッタン、なんか、お腹すいた ("Yattan, like, I'm hungry"). Useful to recognize, but easy to overuse — stacking "なんか…なんか…" starts to sound unsure and immature, just like over-saying "like" in English.
なんて: when the word carries a sneer or a gasp
After a noun or plain verb, なんて colors the idea with emotion. Most often it sounds dismissive ("stuff like that, who cares") or surprised ("to think that…!"). This is also where it outruns なんか grammatically — only なんて can ride a plain verb.
ヤッタンが勝つなんて思わなかった。
ヤッタンが かつなんて おもわなかった。
I never thought Yattan would win.
勝つなんて = 'the idea that (he'd) win' — surprise.
先生がそんなことを言うなんて。
せんせいが そんな ことを いうなんて。
To think the teacher would say something like that…
Trailing なんて leaves the surprise hanging.
ヤッタンの弟は野菜なんて食べない。
ヤッタンの おとうとは やさいなんて たべない。
Yattan's little brother won't eat things like vegetables.
野菜なんて = dismissive 'vegetables and the like.'
You can leave なんて dangling at the end of a sentence (…なんて。) to trail off with surprise or dismay — very natural in speech. And because 勝つなんて works but 勝つなんか does not in that "the idea that…" sense, the plain-verb slot is a clean way to tell which word you actually need.
The tone trap — and the formal fix
The one mistake that really stings is mixing up the feeling. なんか is gentle and vague; なんて leans negative or surprised. Saying ケーキなんて好き to mean "I like cake" sounds odd — that なんて drags in scorn ("cake, of all the ridiculous things"). Use ケーキなんか好き, or simply ケーキが好き.
The other watch-out is register. Both words are casual, so in a polite report or written piece you either drop them or reach for the neutral 〜など ("X and so on"): 野菜など (formal) sits where 野菜なんて (casual, dismissive) never should.
The short version
- なんか = soften ("kind of") or give a vague example ("…or something"); also a casual filler.
- なんて = "such as / things like," with a dismissive or surprised feeling; can follow a noun or a plain verb.
- Both are casual — avoid them in formal speech and writing; use 〜など instead.
- A trailing …なんて。 leaves surprise or dismay hanging.
Practice it
Choose なんか or なんて to match the nuance.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
「＿＿＿言ってるの？」「祝詞も知らないのか？」「祝詞？」「神道の呪文のようなもん」
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between なんか and なんて?
なんか softens or gives a vague example ('kind of,' '…or something') and works as a casual filler. なんて means 'such as / things like' but adds feeling — usually dismissive or surprised. お茶なんかどう？ is a gentle suggestion; 宿題なんて嫌い is dismissive.
Are なんか and なんて polite?
No — both are casual. In formal speech or writing, drop them or use 〜など ('and so on') instead. For example, write 野菜など rather than 野菜なんて in a report.
Can なんて follow a verb?
Yes. After a plain verb it means 'the idea that…,' often with surprise: 勝つなんて思わなかった ('I never thought I'd win'). なんか does not work this way.
Is it okay to use なんか as a filler?
In casual conversation, yes — it's like English 'like' or 'um.' But overusing it sounds unsure, so use it sparingly.
Where なんて / なんか fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- など・とか · N4 — など and とか give non-exhaustive examples. Learn 〜など ('such as', 'and so on'), casual 〜とか〜とか ('things like A and B'), the softening お茶など, and how they pair with や.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
Don't confuse it with
- など・とか · N4 — など and とか give non-exhaustive examples. Learn 〜など ('such as', 'and so on'), casual 〜とか〜とか ('things like A and B'), the softening お茶など, and how they pair with や.
- や · N5 — The particle や lists nouns as examples, not a full set: 本やペンがある ('books, pens, and such'). Learn how や differs from と, and how to pair it with など.
- だけ · N5 — だけ means 'only' or 'just' — water だけ, one だけ, look だけ. Learn how to attach it to nouns, numbers, and verbs, what happens to を and が, and how it differs from しか〜ない.
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜たり〜たり — 〜たり〜たり lists representative actions ('doing things like A and B'). Learn the formation from the た-form, the する at the end, and how it differs from plain て-form listing.
- と — The particle と joins nouns into a complete list ('A and B'), means 'with' someone, and pairs with 同じ/違う for comparisons. Learn how と differs from や.
- の — の links nouns (A's B), replaces a noun ('the red one'), turns verbs into nouns (走るのが速い), and softens casual questions (どうしたの?). Learn all four uses.
- 〜なければならない — 〜なければならない means 'must' or 'have to' in Japanese. Learn the ない-form formation, the polite なりません, casual なきゃ, the なくてはいけない variant, and the opposite なくてもいい.
- 〜なくてもいい — 〜なくてもいい means 'don't have to' or 'it's okay not to.' Learn to build it from a verb's ない-form, use it with adjectives and nouns, and tell it apart from 'must' and 'may.'