How to Say ‘What the hell are you doing?’ in Japanese
何やってんだよ
nani yatsu te n da yo
[nahn yat te n da yo]
💬 Usage Tip: やってん is a squashed form of やっている "are doing". Casual speech often shrinks 〜ている to 〜てる or 〜てん.
Phrase Breakdown
何
nani
[nahn]
what
Question word "what." In polite questions, often appears as 何ですか (what is it?).
趣味は何ですか。
What is your hobby?
やっ
yatsu
[yat]
to do
A verb indicating performance of an action.
それをやってみます。
I'll try doing it.
て
te
[te]
te-form ending
Connects actions in sequence, like 'and' or 'then'.
ドアが開いて、入ります。
The door opens, and then I go in.
ん
n
[n]
explanatory tone
Adds explanation or background to what the speaker is saying.
写真のプロジェクトをしているんだ。
I'm doing a photography project, you know.
だ
da
[da]
be (informal)
Informal form of 'to be' used in casual speech.
今日はいい天気だ。
Today is good weather.
よ
yo
[yo]
you know; emphasis
A sentence-ending particle that adds emphasis or gives new information.
これはおいしいよ。
This is delicious, you know.
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