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なぜ Japanese meaning | Kotomora

なぜ

な

ぜ

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 500

Meanings

1

adverb

why; how; for what reason

usually written using kana alone

Standard question word asking for a reason or cause. Can be used in both formal and informal contexts.

なぜ遅おくれたのですか。
Why were you late?
なぜそう思おもうの？
Why do you think so?

Written forms

なぜUsage84%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Kana spelling is standard; the kanji form 何故 is rare and literary.
何故なぜUsage15%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Kanji form is occasionally seen in formal or literary writing but is not common in everyday use.
ナゼUsage<1%

Kanji

何what
故happenstance, especially, intentionally

Similar words

どうして
どうして is more colloquial and can also mean 'how' in the sense of method, while なぜ is a straightforward 'why' asking for a reason.
なんで
なんで is a casual spoken form of 'why', often used in informal conversation, whereas なぜ is neutral and can be used in both formal and informal settings.

Etymology

The word なぜ is a native Japanese interrogative. The kanji spelling 何故 is a jukujikun reading, where the characters are assigned based on meaning rather than sound.