単なる

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 単なる is read as たんなる and is an attributive expression meaning mere or nothing more than.
• Basic usage: A mere unsupported rumor appears in 単なる噂, while not mere tidying appears in 単なる片付けではない.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Prenominal limitation
  • It precedes a noun to limit it to merely that description.
• Difference from ただの
  • 単なる has a close meaning but readily gives an explicit explanatory limitation.