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何となく (なんとなく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

なんとなく

な

ん

と

な

く

Common word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

somehow; for some reason; without knowing why

usually written using kana alone

Expresses a vague feeling or action done without a clear reason or conscious intention. Often used when the speaker cannot pinpoint why they feel or act a certain way.

なんとなく今日きょうは外そとに出でたくない。

For some reason, I don't feel like going out today.

彼かれの言いっていることがなんとなくわかった。

I somehow understood what he was saying.

なんとなく空そらを見み上あげたら、虹にじが出でていた。

I happened to look up at the sky and saw a rainbow.

Usage patterns

何なんとなく〈動どう詞し〉to do something without a clear reason
何なんとなく彼かれの言いうことが分わかる気きがした。
I somehow felt I understood what he was saying.
何なんとなく〈形けい容よう詞し〉to feel a certain way for no clear reason
今日きょうは何なんとなく寂さびしい気き分ぶんだ。
I feel somehow lonely today, for no particular reason.
何なんとなく〈事こと〉が気きになるto be vaguely bothered by something
彼かれの態たい度どが何なんとなく気きになる。
His attitude bothers me somehow, though I can't say exactly why.
何なんとなく〈事こと〉気きがするto have a vague feeling or premonition that something is the case
何なんとなく雨あめが降ふりそうな気きがする。
I somehow have a feeling it's going to rain.

Kanji

何what
無nothingness, none, ain't

Related words

なぜかN2
なぜか carries a stronger sense of puzzlement about the unknown cause, while 何となく is more about a vague feeling with no real curiosity about why.
どことなく
どことなく describes a vague impression of a person or place, whereas 何となく is broader and can describe one's own feelings or actions as well.
何なに気げなくN1
何気なく emphasizes doing something casually or absent-mindedly without deliberate intention, while 何となく focuses more on an unexplainable inner feeling or reason.
何なにかN4
何か can work adverbially to mean 'somehow' (often paired with ～となく), while なんとなく is the standalone adverb for the same vague, unexplainable feeling.
なんだかN2
なんとなく suggests doing or feeling something without a particular reason or much thought, while 何だか emphasizes a vague, hard-to-explain impression or feeling.

Built from

何なん+となく

Written forms

何なんとなく
Standard kanji spelling, though It is usually written in kana.
何なんと無なく
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 無く; not commonly encountered.

Etymology

Compound of 何と (nanto, 'what') + なく (naku, adverbial form of ない 'not'). Literally 'without being what,' it developed into an adverb expressing vagueness or lack of clear reason.