unintentionally; casually; without thinking
Describes doing something without particular intent, casually, or as if it were nothing. Often used when someone acts or speaks in a relaxed, offhand manner.
A remark I made casually ended up hurting him.
彼は何の気なしに窓の外を眺めていた。
He was gazing out the window without any particular thought.
Standard kanji spelling for this adverbial phrase.
Variant using 無し; less common but still encountered.
Kana spelling; common in casual writing.
Phrase composed of 何の (what kind of) + 気 (spirit, mind) + なし (without) + に (adverbial particle). Literally 'without any particular mind/intention'.