Pronunciation
Definition
‘何を隠そう’ (nani o kakusou) is an idiomatic expression that literally means ‘What would I conceal? (I won’t any)’. This expression is used when you want to emphasise information that you are about to share with others (similar to “in fact” in English). For instance, The sentence ‘何を隠そう、私が彼と彼女を結びつけたのだ’ (nani o kakusou, watashi ga kare to kanojo wo musubituketa noda) is translated as ‘What would I conceal? I brought him and her together’ (≒ ‘You know what? It’s me who brought him and her together.’).
As in the example above, this expression is often employed when you reveal something about yourself. Although mostly used in writing, the idiom contains rather a casual and playful tone. It is also used in Anime, and therefore if you used this phrase in speech, chances are you sound like a weird anime otaku.
Grammar
This expression is short for ‘何を隠すだろうか (Nani o kakusu darouka; What would I conceal?)’, and it is kind of a rhetorical question which is intended to be followed by ‘何も隠さないだろう (Nani mo kakusanai darou; I won’t conceal anything)’. Here, 隠す (kakusu) means ‘conceal’ or ‘hide’.
Example Sentences
Ex1
何を隠そう、この島から宝を奪ったのはこの私だ！
Nani o kakusou (What would I conceal/You know what?) It’s me who stole the treasure from this island!
Ex2
多くの人は仕事を先延ばしてしまうが、何を隠そう、私もその一人である
A lot of people end up procrastinating thier work, and nani o kakusou (What would I conceal/You know what)? I am also one of them.
Synonyms: None
Synonyms in English: You know what?
Related words and phrases: 隠す (hide, conceal)
Hi,
I would like to ask if this idiom is really not frequently used in speech. I looked this phrase up on youglish and I found many people use it in speech. Please check it out: https://youglish.com/pronounce/%E4%BD%95%E3%82%92%E9%9A%A0%E3%81%9D%E3%81%86/japanese?
Thank you for all your hard work. It’s very helpful.
Have a nice day.
Thanks for your comment! Yea I had a look at the examples and found that many of them are used in “decorative” speech (i.e. presenting information in a bit showy/flamboyant way), which is indeed prevalent on YouTube/Anime (you know…). I have to say that the nuance of this expression is very subtle and difficult to put into words; I mean, it’s totally fine to use this expression in a conversation, but it may sound like you’re trying to unveil information that impresses or surprises your listeners (but not always, depending on the way you put it, but definitely not a phrase I often use or hear in a daily convo).
Oh I got it! I think I will be a little bit careful with this phrase then. Thank you so much for replying back to me!