なんで (“why”) + や (Kansai for だ) + ねん (Kansai for のだ). Literally “why is that?”, but on stage it means “that makes no sense!”: the signature tsukkomi of Osaka comedy.
The most famous comeback in Japanese comedy. Kansai dialect; say it for laughs, not in real arguments.
One performer describes the people of a certain prefecture, and the partner notices they keep making sharp comebacks.
Culture note Sharp comebacks (tsukkomi) are strongly linked with Osaka, and なんでやねん is the most typical Osaka-dialect comeback.
Why would I be?!
Textbookどうしてそうなるんですか。"なんで" is casual "どうして"; Kansai "や" stands in for "だ/な" and "ねん" for "んだ": "なんでなんだ" → "なんでやねん".
The pair argue about drinking toilet water, and one says it could make you die much sooner.
Seriously, why?!
Textbook本当に、どうしてですか。'なんでやねん' is Kansai for 'どうしてなのですか': 'なんで' (why) + 'や' (Kansai 'だ') + 'ねん' (emphatic 'のだ'). A classic retort.
The performers say a gross-looking face can work against you in life, then one of them offers an 'example.'
Culture note 'Dragenai' is a famous mishearing of the chorus of the hit song 'Dragon Night' by SEKAI NO OWARI.
What the heck?!
Textbookどうしてなんですか。Polite "どうしてなんですか" → casual "なんでなんだ" → Kansai "なんでやねん" ("や" = "だ", "ねん" = "のだ"): the classic "what the heck?!" retort.
One performer can't make a certain sound, so the partner tries setting a mood for them, then offers to play walk-on music.
Culture note Debayashi is the music played as comedians walk onto the stage in Japan.
Oh, come on!
Textbookどうしてそうなるんですか。Kansai tsukkomi: 'なんで' (= 'どうして') + 'や' (= 'だ') + 'ねん' (= 'のだ'). Less a real question than 'Oh, come on!'
One comedian urges the other to go to the sea in Kyoto; the other objects that locals would report a possible suicide.
Why the hell would they?!
Textbookどうしてですか。Casual 「なんで」 replaces 「どうして」, and Kansai 「やねん」 (≈ 「なのだ」) turns the question into an indignant 'why on earth?!'
From other routines in the library. Automatic transcripts, not yet checked line by line.
なんでやねん means “why the heck…?!” (Kansai). なんで (“why”) + や (Kansai for だ) + ねん (Kansai for のだ). Literally “why is that?”, but on stage it means “that makes no sense!”: the signature tsukkomi of Osaka comedy.
With friends: OK. With coworkers: avoid. With a boss or teacher: avoid. The most famous comeback in Japanese comedy. Kansai dialect; say it for laughs, not in real arguments.
In 1,905 live comedy routines, なんでやねん appears in 12 lines from 10 comedians.