나니
nani
나니 (nani) is a Japanese word meaning 'what' that is sometimes used in English to express surprise or confusion.
Which one should you use?
For actual Korean communication, you have several options: use 무엇입니까? for a formal 'What?', 어떻게 된 일입니까? to ask 'What happened?' when surprised or 뭐야? for an informal 'What?'
How do you pronounce it?
nani
Did you know?
- Because of historical tensions between Korea and Japan, using Japanese words like 나니 in public can sometimes be perceived as eccentric or provocative depending on the age of the listener.
- While 나니 is Japanese, its use in Korea is often tied to the 'Otaku' subculture and the influence of Japanese anime and manga among young people.
Example conversation
Subin tells Minjun a shocking piece of news.
- 수빈 Su-bin민준, 우리 내일 수업 취소됐대!Minjun, uri naeil sueop chwiso-dwaetdae!Minjun, I heard our class tomorrow was canceled!
- 민준 Min-jun나니? 정말로 취소됐다고?nani? jeongmallo chwiso-dwaetdago?Nani? It was really canceled?
- 수빈 Su-bin응, 교수님이 방금 공지 올리셨어.eung, gyosunimi banggeum gongji ollisyeosseo.Yes, the professor just posted the announcement.
- 민준 Min-jun대박, 완전 최고다!daebak, wanjeon choegoda!Awesome, this is the best!
