“naze” vs “dōshite” vs “nande”：Which is Often Used As Casual?

2021年2月4日2022年8月21日

0204-2021-naze-vs-doushite-vs-nande-learn-japanese-online-how-to-speak-japanese-language-for-beginners-basic-study-in-japan

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“naze” vs “dōshite” vs “nande”：Which is Often Used As Casual?

What is the difference between “なぜ(naze), どうして(dōshite) and なんで(nande)”? Which is often used in daily conversations as casual? After reading this, you would be answering this question. Let me introduce what their subtle differences are and how you correctly use them such as native speakers today!

なぜ(naze), どうして(doushite) and なんで(nande)

Why, How come / 为何, 为什么, 为啥 / 왜 / Tại sao(Ngôn ngữ thương mại), Tại sao(Ý nghĩa lịch sự), Tại sao(Ngôn ngữ hàng ngày)

“なぜ(naze), どうして(dōshite) and なんで(nande)” mean “Why or How come” and which has been used as the meaning of “to ask about the reasons for something”. The basic way to use it is “なぜ/どうして/なんで___ですか/なの？(Why/How come ___?)”, etc. The tips for using them are that the politest way to use “なぜ”, the second is “どうして” and last is “なんで” which is often used in daily conversations as casual, and I personally use “なんで” more than 90% in daily conversations. Thus, (FORMAL) “なぜ” > “どうして” > “なんで” (CASUAL). And the differences between “なぜ” and “どうして” are that again “どうして” is casual than “なぜ”, so you would be able to emphasize your feeling into “どうして” than “なぜ” that means the word “なぜ” sounds pretty cool. So, that’s why “なぜ” is used in business situations as formal, however, “どうして” is also used in business situations as well. For instance, “なぜ___ですか？” is used for your company’s CEO, and “どうして___ですか？” is used for your boss, a meeting, or in public situations. So, I don’t normally often hear “なぜ” in daily conversations. However, don’t use “なんで” to your boss and of course not only to your company’s CEO but all of the greatest people as well. Additionally, “なんで___なの？” is used as casual for your friends and “なんで___ですか？” is used as polite to your teachers, bosses who you get along with, etc that means “なんで___ですか？” can be also used as polite, “どうして___ですか?” is more polite though. I think between native speakers who often use “なんで___ですか？” as polite. However, don’t say “なんで___なの？” which is used for your friends. Everybody could use them. Lastly, you would be able to use “どうして___なの?” such as “なんで___なの？”, however, again “なんで___なの？” the most casual way between them. Or “どうして___なの?” is used especially for girls as the meaning of “なんで___なの？”.

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Sample

yuka

なんでそんなに人気にんきなの？ (Why is it so popular?) (你为啥这么受欢迎？) (왜 그렇게 인기있는 거야?) (Sao lại nổi/hot vậy nhỉ?) (nande son’na ni ninki nano?)

tatsuya

どうしてそんなに人気にんきがあるんですか？ (Why is it so popular?) (你为什么这么受欢迎？) (왜 그렇게 인기가 있는 건가요?) (Vì sao lại được yêu thích đến như vậy ạ?) (dōshite son’na ni ninki ga arun desu ka?)

yuka

なぜそんなに人気にんきがあるのですか？ (Why is it so popular?) (这个人为何如此受欢迎？) (왜 그렇게 인기가 있습니까?) (Tại sao nó lại được ưa chuộng đến như vậy?) (naze son’na ni ninki ga aru no desu ka?)