なんということだ
nanto iu koto da
The English phrase "my God" can be translated into Japanese as なんということだ (nanto iu koto da).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "what a thing it is" or "what a matter it is".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
なんということだ is quite dramatic and literary, making it sound more formal or theatrical than common daily exclamations. In casual settings, you might instead hear やばい to express surprise, amazement or distress. うわっ to convey surprise or shock. Or まじか to express disbelief or astonishment.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase can be written using the kanji 事 instead of hiragana こと for the word koto.
How do you pronounce it?
nanto iu koto da
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'my god' can be offensive to some, なんということだ is entirely secular and carries no religious taboo.
- While the phrase なんということだ translates to 'what a thing it is', it does not actually contain the word for 'God', which is 神 (kami).
- Japanese speakers often accompany an exclamation like うわっ with a physical recoil or a hand over the mouth to emphasize the shock.
Examples in context
- やばい！今日の試験忘れてた！My God! I forgot about today's exam!
- まじか！どうしよう？No way! What should we do?
- なんということだ、こんなに雨が降るなんて。Nan to iu koto da, konna ni ame ga furu nante.My god, to think it would rain this much.
- なんということだ、もうこんな時間か。Nan to iu koto da, mou konna jikan ka.My god, is it this time already?
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki find a broken vase on the floor.
- 蓮 Renなんということだ！花瓶が割れている。Nan to iu koto da! Kabin ga warete iru.My god! The vase is broken.
- 美咲 Misakiどうしてこんなことに？Dōshite konna koto ni?How did this happen?
- 蓮 Ren風で倒れたのかもしれない。Kaze de taoreta no kamo shirenai.Maybe it fell over because of the wind.
- 美咲 Misaki急いで片付けましょう。Isoide katazukemashō.Let's clean it up quickly.
