Previously, we have looked at using emotions in Japanese and expressing our desires but when we use them as they are, it can sound rather bland or without much emotion at all. For example:
日本語の
nihongo no benkyou wa tanoshii
Studying Japanese is fun
As you can see, this sentence sounds like a straightforward statement or fact. Sure, we are expressing that "studying Japanese is fun" but when spoken, it doesn't really reflect our personal feelings or add any other emotional emphasis to it.
This is where the sentence-ending particle なあ comes into play to emphasise our personal feelings. As you will know, sentence-ending particles serve various functions in expressing the speaker's attitude, mood or intention and this particular particle is very common.
It may also be presented as なぁ, なー or な〜 in written language.
なあ for Emotions, Feelings or Desires
Ending a sentence with なあ helps to express your personal feelings emotionally when you are talking or thinking to yourself. Since you are not seeking agreement, confirmation or any other response from someone else, there is no need to be polite or use formal language.
Simply add なあ at the end of a sentence where the predicate is in plain or informal form:
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Verb (plain form) + なあ
ganbaru naa
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い-adjective (plain form) + なあ
kawaii naa!
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な-adjective (plain form だ) + なあ
kirei da naa!
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noun (だ) + なあ
hana da naa!
In the following examples, you will see how なあ is expressing your ongoing feelings (1), admiration (2, 3), hope (4, 5), jealousy (4, 5) or even personal desires using たい (5).
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日本語の
勉強は 楽しいなあ nihongo no benkyou wa tanoshii naa
Studying Japanese is (so) fun
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キレイな花だなぁ
kirei na hana da naa
(Ooh), that's a pretty flower
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かわいいなあ！
イーブイ 欲しかったんだ！ kawaii naa! iibii hoshikatta nda!
(Wow), it's (really) cute! Eevee is just what I wanted!
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はやく
欲しいなあ！ hayaku hoshii naa!
I can't wait to get mine! [I want it quickly]
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サント・アンヌ
号に 乗って旅を したいなあ！ santo annu-gou ni notte tabi o shitai naa!
I wish (I could) travel aboard the Saint-Anne!
※ Example sentence (2) was taken from the game スーパーマリオブラザーズワンダー (Super Mario Bros. Wonder).
※ Example sentence (3), (4) and (5) were taken from the game ポケットモンスター Let's Go! (Pokemon Let's Go!).
The Omission of あCasual
Sometimes, なあ will be shortened to just な, however, be careful as this can easily be mistaken for the sentence ending particle な which has a very similar meaning to ね but with the nuance of having a stronger tone making it sound crude or just less polite. You'll likely see it more common in Manga, Anime, Films, video games and such.
The only way to understand whether な is a shortened form of なあ or a stronger form of ね is simply by the context of which it is used. For example 「いいな」 can be used to seek the listener's agreement or confirmation (i.e: "OK?") rather than speaking your own feelings to yourself. If you were talking to yourself, then 「いいな」 could mean "That's nice".
Just remember that なあ is used to express your feelings when speaking to yourself (i.e: "I wish I had one of those" / "That was a really good song" / "I wonder if she'll like this").
Additional Notes
Some words may have different meanings or expressions so check out online dictionaries such as japandict.com or jisho.org to find out more.
These example sentences may be presented in an unnatural or artificial way. Continue to broaden your research and listen to how real Japanese native people speak. It's important to make sure you have many other resources to use. Do not rely on this website alone.
Related Lessons and References
Here is a list of other pages as a reference of what else you may be interested in reading: