Japanese with Manga

Don't care if it troubles you with 知ったことか

Grammar Explanation: Lack of interest with 知ったことか

Manga panel from 三ツ星カラーズ showing example of Don't care if it troubles you with 知ったことか.
三ツ星カラーズ » Volume 1 » Page 138

Oyaji presented Colors with a bomb to defuse via a riddle, which led to problems for Officer Saitou. After Colors successfully defuses the bomb, Saitou tells Oyaji to stop playing bothersome games.

おやじ:
「子供(こども)のためだ。お前(まえ)が迷惑(めいわく)被(かうむ)ろうと知(し)ったことか」
“It's for the kids. I don't care if it will cause you trouble.”
Literal: “It's for the kids. Whether you suffer trouble or not, is that something I know?”

Key Points

1知(し)ったことか dismisses responsibility
  • The idiom means “what do I care?” or “that is none of my concern”.
  • Oyaji uses it about whether Saitou is inconvenienced.
2迷惑(めいわく)被(かうむ)ろうと means even if you suffer trouble
  • 迷惑(めいわく)被(かうむ)る means to be subjected to nuisance or trouble.
  • 〜うと sets up a concessive “even if”.

Vocabulary

(Child)

子供(こども) is the everyday word for a child. It can also refer to children as a group.

(Trouble)

迷惑(めいわく) means trouble, annoyance, or inconvenience caused to someone else.

(To know)

知(し)る means to learn or come to know a fact or person. In the form 知っている, it describes already knowing.

See Also

三ツ星カラーズ © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.