Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week’s Bleach seemed to be the chapter of “what?!” Basically, the characters were surprised and couldn’t help expressing it!

After this lesson you can be exactly like a Bleach character and express your confusion!

NANI (なに)

I can’t really blame Gremmy for not believing what he just saw. Not even he could imagine that Kenpachi could swat away a meteor with a sword, no matter how big it is! Luckily, Gremmy had a backup plan! Nobody can survive in space, right? Right...? The only acceptable response to this situation is NANI?! or “What?!” Perhaps the real lesson here is to never underestimate Kenpachi Zaraki!

Another guy who’s seen a lot of crazy stuff is Yuichiro from Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign—vampires, demons, humans with some kind of dark agenda. What the heck, indeed, Yuichiro! This series is so full of mysteries that I foresee a whole lot of NANIs in the future.

NANDA (なんだ)

NANDA can usually be used in place of NANI. It’s a little bit more specific, like “What is this/that?” Perfect for situations where you are totally confused. Like when Toriko and Coco get pulled into some seriously thick mist and end up in a row of yummy-looking restaurants. What?! And you can always throw out an angry NANDATO?! (“What did you say?”) if someone’s giving you too much attitude. But that is a little bit rude, and hopefully nobody wants to be rude.

Get more tips by listening to the SJ PODCAST!