Thursday, March 02, 2006
Why?
After the last post, I thought I'd look into something a bit easier. Today is the question word 'why'.
As far as I can tell, there are three (common) possibilities when translating 'why': なぜ、何で and どうして.
I have had the usual struggle in deciding which one to use and always ended up guessing. But it appears there is a general agreement on when to use each one.
The first general agreement is that it is a matter of politeness.
またね
As far as I can tell, there are three (common) possibilities when translating 'why': なぜ、何で and どうして.
I have had the usual struggle in deciding which one to use and always ended up guessing. But it appears there is a general agreement on when to use each one.
The first general agreement is that it is a matter of politeness.
- In a formal, factual environment, such as in a newspaper or on the news, use なぜ. If used in a social setting, it can come across as perhaps a little on the rude side, unless your a 外人. Then everyone just thinks you're quaint.
- In a normal relaxed setting, such as a family setting or with peers, どうして is the chap for you. どうして also implies a certain emotional content as to the reason for asking the question.
- If it's an uber-relaxed, hangin-with-your-posse setting, or you just want to appear rude, use なんで. It's possible that you won't be asked a question using なんで, purely because of politeness, but if you earwig on conversations between natives, watch drama or anime, you'll hear it lot. Don't be fooled - they're allowed to.
またね
Comments:
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なぜ、どうして、なんで・・・
Yes, なぜ sounds formal.
どうして、なんで can be used almost equally. Yes, these are colloquial, not rude. Of course if you speak in an offensive way, it'll be impolite.
Why are you crying?
なぜ泣いているのですか？-formal
どうして泣いているの？-common
なんで泣いてんの？-casual, a bit rude
・・・またね！
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Yes, なぜ sounds formal.
どうして、なんで can be used almost equally. Yes, these are colloquial, not rude. Of course if you speak in an offensive way, it'll be impolite.
Why are you crying?
なぜ泣いているのですか？-formal
どうして泣いているの？-common
なんで泣いてんの？-casual, a bit rude
・・・またね！
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