なんで

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See also: なんて

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spelling
何で

Pronunciation

Adverb

なんで (nande

  1. why?
  2. (transport) how? by what means?
    なんでここ()ました
    Nande koko ni kimashita ka.
    How did you get here? (by walking? driving? etc...)
Usage notes
  • Chiefly informal language. Although usage of なんで in 丁寧語 does not necessarily violate the register, it has a casual tone, making どうして preferable in most polite contexts.
Synonyms

Etymology 2

Particle

なんで (nande

  1. (informal) Contraction of なので (na no de).

References

  1. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN