‘Nani Wo Kakusou’: Japanese Idiom Meaning ‘What would I conceal?’

何を隠そう (nani wo kakusou), idiom

Definition

‘何なにを隠かくそう’ (nani wo 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. For instance, The sentence ‘何を隠そう、私わたしが彼かれと彼女かのじょを結むすびつけたのだ’ (nani wo 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 ‘何なにを隠かくすだろうか (Nani wo kakusu darouka; What would I conceal?)’, and it is kind of a rhetorical question which is intended to be followed by ‘何なにも隠かくさないだろう (Nani mo kakusanai darou; I won’t conceal anything)’. Here, 隠かくす (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 wo 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 wo 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)