なんじゃこりゃ
nan ja korya
The Japanese equivalent of the English phrase "wtf" is なんじゃこりゃ (nan ja korya).
While it literally translates to "What is this?", the contracted form なんじゃこりゃ carries a tone of shock, confusion or irritation similar to the English 'WTF'.
Meaning: What the fuck (phrase)
Which one should you use?
The informal exclamation なにこれ roughly translates to "What is this?" and is used to express astonishment or confusion. The informal expression ありえない translates to "This cannot be" or "Unbelievable."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
なんじゃこりゃ is a colloquial expression. The interjection えっ is commonly used when expressing surprise or disbelief.
How do you pronounce it?
nan ja korya
Did you know?
- While English 'WTF' is often quite vulgar, the Japanese なんじゃこりゃ feels more like an old-fashioned, gruff outburst of a confused character from a period drama or an old man in a comedy.
- In Japanese manga, the phrase なんじゃこりゃ is often written in large, jagged katakana to visually represent the sound of a person's voice cracking or shaking with sudden disbelief.
- The phrase なんじゃこりゃ mimics a rural or older dialect, making the speaker sound like a bewildered old man from the countryside rather than a modern urban youth.
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto find a strange object in their living room.
- 結衣 Yuiねえ大翔、見て。なんじゃこりゃ！nee Hiroto, mite. nanja korya!Hey Hiroto, look. What the fuck is this!
- 大翔 Hirotoえっ、本当に何だこれ？e, hontou ni nan da kore?Huh, what is this really?
- 結衣 Yui全然わからないよ。気持ち悪い！zenzen wakaranai yo. kimochi warui!I have no idea. It's gross!
- 大翔 Hirotoとりあえず触らないほうがいいな。toriaezu sawaranai hou ga ii na.For now, we better not touch it.
