How to say 'Somehow' in Japanese | 何とか

word

Meaning

Somehow

Reading

Kanji

何What

Explanation

The Japanese adverb '何とか (なんとか)' means 'somehow' or 'in some way'. It is used to express that something is achieved or managed, often with difficulty or uncertainty. This word conveys a sense of effort or struggle, implying that the outcome was not straightforward. For example: I managed to finish the work somehow「何とか仕事を終わらせた」(なんとかしごとをおわらせた). We somehow made it on time「何とか間に合った」(なんとかまにあった). Additionally, '何とか' can be used to request help or suggest finding a solution, as in '何とかしてください (なんとかしてください) (Please do something about it).'

Part Of Speech

adverb

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

5076

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting