How to say 'Somehow' in Japanese | 何となく

word

Meaning

Somehow

Reading

Kanji

何What

Explanation

The Japanese adverb '何となく (なんとなく)' means 'somehow' or 'for some reason'. It is used to express a vague or unclear feeling, thought, or reason behind an action or situation. This word often conveys a sense of intuition, instinct, or an unexplainable sense. For example: I somehow felt like going for a walk「何となく散歩に行きたくなった」(なんとなくさんぽにいきたくなった). She somehow seemed familiar「彼女は何となく見覚えがあった」(かのじょはなんとなくみおぼえがあった). It can also imply doing something without a clear purpose, as in: I just somehow ended up here「何となくここに来てしまった」(なんとなくここにきてしまった).

Part Of Speech

adverb

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

5079

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting