What does it mean word for word?
The phrase なんで泣いているの？ breaks down into nande (why), naite iru (is crying) and no (a particle used to indicate a question or seek explanation).
Which one should you use?
The word なんで (nande) is more colloquial and can sometimes sound blunt, whereas どうして (doushite) is slightly more standard or soft.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to express this depending on the level of politeness required. The version なんで泣いてるの？ is informal. For a more polite or formal tone, you can use どうして泣いているんですか？ or なぜ泣いているのですか？ Additionally, どうして泣いているのですか？ is a more formal and polite way to ask the same question.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, specifically in Osaka and its surroundings, you may hear the specific phrase なんで泣いとんねん？
How does it change in a sentence?
In casual spoken Japanese, the i in iru is often dropped, resulting in naiteru instead of naite iru.
How do you pronounce it?
nande naite iru no?
Did you know?
- The verb 泣く (naku) is often used in the phrase 泣き落とし (naki-otoshi), which refers to a tactic of using tears to manipulate someone into granting a request.
- In Japanese, the word 泣く (naku) can describe not only human crying but also the distinct calls of birds and frogs.
- In Japanese culture, it is common to avoid asking なんで (why) directly when someone is crying to avoid pressure. Instead, people often use indirect phrases like どうしたの？ which means 'what happened?'
Examples in context
- なんで泣いているの？nande naite iru no?Why are you crying?
- 一人で、なんで泣いているの？hitori de, nande naite iru no?Why are you crying alone?
Example conversation
Kenta finds Misaki crying on a park bench.
- 健太 Kenta美咲、なんで泣いているの？Misaki, nande naite iru no?Misaki, why are you crying?
- 美咲 Misaki少し、悲しいことがあったの。sukoshi, kanashii koto ga atta no.Something sad happened a little bit.
- 健太 Kenta大丈夫？話を聞こうか？daijoubu? hanashi o kikou ka?Are you okay? Shall I listen to what happened?
- 美咲 Misakiありがとう、健太さん。arigatou, Kenta-san.Thank you, Kenta.
