What it means
なんて expresses strong surprise, admiration, or disbelief. At the beginning of an exclamation, it means “what a...” or “how...,” and it is followed by a noun, an adjective, or an adjective phrase. After a plain clause, なんて shows that the speaker is surprised by or cannot believe the situation. The familiar ending だろう sounds like an emotional reflection, while でしょう is a polite counterpart.
Usage note
This entry covers the exclamatory and surprised-reaction use of なんて. なんて also has other meanings, such as “such as” or “someone like,” so the surrounding sentence is important. In polite speech, なんて itself does not change; politeness is usually shown by the rest of the sentence, such as でしょう or a polite predicate.
How to use it
なんて景色でしょう。
What a view!
なんて静かな町でしょう。
What a quiet town!
なんて美しい景色でしょう。
What a beautiful view!
彼がそんな大きな魚を釣ったなんて、驚きました。
I was surprised that he caught such a big fish.
なんて景色だろう。
What a view!
なんて静かな町だろう。
What a quiet town!
なんて美しい景色だろう。
What a beautiful view!
彼がそんな大きな魚を釣ったなんて、驚いた。
I was surprised that he caught such a big fish.
Example sentences
なんて静かな図書館だろう。
What a quiet library this is!
なんて見事な庭園でしょう。
What a magnificent garden!
弟が一人で弁当を作ったなんて、驚きました。
I was surprised that my younger brother made a lunch box by himself.
なんて複雑な問題でしょう。
What a complicated problem this is.
私