How to Say "Hmph" in Japanese

ふん

fun[ɸɯ̟̃ɴ]

The Japanese phrase for "hmph" is ふん (fun).

ふん is used to express a sulky, dismissive attitude, annoyance or contempt.

How do you pronounce it?

fun

While ふん can be a dismissive snort, the exact same sounds can also be written in kanji as 糞 to mean 'excrement'.
The sound ふん is a core part of the tsundere archetype, where a character flips between being tsun-tsun (aloof and prickly) and dere-dere (sweet and loving).
While common in anime and manga, using ふん toward a social superior in real life is so extreme that it is almost never heard outside of fiction.

「ふん！帰りたいなら、勝手にすればいい！」ピーター・パンは拗ねて、どこかへ飛んで行ってしまいました。
"Hmph! Go ahead, go back home if you want!", Peter Pan said with a sulk as he flew away.
This sentence shows how ふん can be used when someone is sulking.
Tatoeba #8890724 by dotheduyet1999, translation #10109295 by DJ_Saidez
ちっ、また遅れるの？
Hmph, are you going to be late again?
ふん、知らない！
Fun, shiranai!
Hmph, I don't care!
ふん、そんなの勝手にすればいいわ。
Fun, sonna no katte ni sureba ii wa.
Hmph, do whatever you want then.

A brother and sister are bickering over a video game.

陽太 Yota

陽葵、そのコントローラー、貸してよ。
Himari, sono kontorōrā, kashite yo.
Himari, lend me that controller.
陽葵 Himari

ふん、陽太にはあげないよ。
Fun, Yōta ni wa agenai yo.
Hmph, I'm not giving it to you, Yota.
陽太 Yota

そんなこと言わないで、お願い。
Sonna koto iwanaide, Onegai.
Don't be like that, please.
陽葵 Himari

ダメ。もう知らない。
Dame. Mō shiranai.
No. I'm done with you.

Sources

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