I heard this and wasn't sure if it had a negative meaning or not. Does the
phrase always indicate irritation or not necessarily? I'm a bit confused since
some people say it's just an informal tone between friends, and some say it's
said due to frustration? Can anyone clarify please? Thanks!
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2023-07-06T16:59:49.620
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question
grammar colloquial-language slang japanese-to-english informal
does なんだこれは specifically have a bad connotation?
The word order conveys some meaning.

Normally you would say: それはなんですか？

By putting なんだ at the beginning it conveys the idea of surprise (either good
or bad). Not being polite-speech also comes up as rougher or more direct (like
saying something crudely without thinking about how you say it).

I guess it depends on the tone similarly to the english "what is this?". But
surely you got "surprise + informal" for sure.
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2023-07-06T20:23:19.213
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2023-07-06T20:23:19.213
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answer
なんだこれは is not necessarily negative, but it does indicate the speaker is
surprised or amazed, like "What _the heck_ is this?".

For one thing, だ is not really a common copula in ordinary informal speech.
When it's used, it would sound masculine, blunt, urgent and/or oppressive. For
example, you should use the question "誰だ?" only against a highly suspicious
person like an intruder.

  * [を+[する noun] + だ structrure?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/94953/5010)
  * [What is the difference between 何だと and 何ですと?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/62799/5010)
  * [~たいだとか why is there a だ here?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/60014/5010)

For another thing, the reversed word order adds a dramatic feel to it, as
pointed by another answer.
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answer