なんて迷惑な
nante meiwaku na
To say "how annoying" in Japanese, you can exclaim なんて迷惑な (nante meiwaku na), which expresses frustration at something that is causing you trouble.
なんて迷惑な is an exclamation for moments when a person or situation is being a nuisance to you, such as noisy neighbors or a blocked doorway.
What does it mean word for word?
なんて works like what a or how in an English exclamation, and 迷惑 means trouble or nuisance. The final な links it like an adjective.
Which one should you use?
For tasks that feel like a hassle, people often say Mendokusai desu ne, meaning it's troublesome, isn't it. Among friends you may hear Meccha mendokusai!, meaning so annoying. Iyada! means I hate it or I can't stand it.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Adding n da to make なんて迷惑なんだ sounds more emotive and conversational in informal speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
On its own なんて迷惑な is a fragment. To make it a complete sentence, add koto da at the end to get なんて迷惑なことだ, meaning what an annoying thing it is.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced nante meiwaku na.
Did you know?
- While meiwaku means 'nuisance', it is a central concept in Japanese social etiquette. To 'cause meiwaku' is considered one of the greatest social faux pas, making the word carry a much heavier weight of social shame than the English 'annoying' might suggest.
- The word 迷惑 (meiwaku) is used in formal apologies to describe the 'trouble' caused, transforming a word for 'annoying' into a polite expression of regret.
- In casual speech, the phrase 面倒くさい (mendokusai) is often shortened to めんどい (mendoi) by young people to sound even more dismissive.
Examples in context
- なんて迷惑な人なんだろう。Nante meiwaku na hito nandarou.How annoying a person he is.
- なんて迷惑な騒音なんだ。Nante meiwaku na souon nanda.How annoying this noise is.
- なんて迷惑なことなんだ。Nante meiwaku na koto nanda.How annoying this situation is.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are dealing with a noisy neighbor.
- 蓮 Renまた隣の部屋がうるさいよ。Mata tonari no heya ga urusai yo.The room next door is noisy again.
- 美咲 Misakiなんて迷惑な人ね。Nante meiwaku na hito ne.How annoying that person is.
- 蓮 Renもう我慢できないよ。Mō gaman dekinai yo.I can't stand it anymore.
- 美咲 Misaki管理会社に連絡しましょう。Kanri gaisha ni renraku shimashō.Let's contact the management company.
