I'm trying to translate "This is somehow important?" in Japanese but I don't know how to translate "somehow." I've searched up and there are too many translations for it like なんとなく、どういうわけか、なんとかして、どことなく、どこやら、and some sort.
Does it depend on the situation? What do I use in my sentence, giving the context that I was clueless on why it's for some reason important? Does 「これはなんとなく大事？」work?
This is an interesting question! I feel like looking up translations of somehow might be misleading, as the term in English (in this context) is not referring as how to "how" something is done (As in, I somehow finished the race) - it is referring more to the level of importance. It sounds to me, at least, like it is more "Is this really important?". On top of this, "somehow" implies doubt, as if the speaker doesn't seem to think it's important.
Direct translation is tricky. So, if I were in this situation, and someone presented me with something I didn't think was important or necessary, I'd probably say:
これは本当に必要ですか。 (Is this really necessary?)
これは本当に大事ですか。 (...important)
If you want to give off more of a "I wonder if this is really important" vibe, you could say これは(or これって)本当に大事かな。
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4 years ago
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I see, though it's not a question I'm trying to imply. (I should've been clearer. Sorry.)
「理由が分からないけど、これは重要だ」is what I'm trying to say (I think 重要 is more fitting than 大事,) but I'm finding a shorter way to say this, thus the "somehow" part. Is there a better way to say it?
