How to Say ‘What are those eyes?’ in Japanese
その目は何だえ？
sono me wa nan da e
[sono me wa nani da e]
💬 Usage Tip: その目は何だ literally means "What are those eyes?" but really means "What's with that look?" or "Why are you looking at me like that?" This pattern works with other body-language nouns too, like その顔は何だ ("What's with that face?").
Phrase Breakdown
その
sono
[sono]
that
Used to indicate something close to the listener or something just mentioned.
その本を読んで。
Read that book.
目
me
[me]
eye
The organ of sight.
目を閉じる。
Close your eyes.
は
wa
[wa]
subject marker
A grammatical particle used to indicate the subject of a sentence.
私の猫は可愛い。
My cat is cute.
何
nan
[nani]
what
Used to inquire about something.
何が欲しい？
What do you want?
だ
da
[da]
to be (informal)
Informal form of the copula 'to be'.
これは何だ？
What is this?
え
e
[e]
(sentence end particle)
An informal sentence ending particle used by men, adding emphasis.
そうだえ！
That's right!
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