JLPT N5Everyday

何なにか・何なにもsomething; nothing, not anything

A question word plus か is "some": something, someone, somewhere. A question word plus も, with a negative verb, is "none": nothing, no one, nowhere.

some

何なにか食たべましょう。

Let's eat something.

none

冷れい蔵ぞう庫こには何なにもありません。

There is nothing in the refrigerator.

"any" in a question

何なにか質しつ問もんはありますか。

Do you have any questions?

Some

何なに・だれ・どこ・いつ + か

が and を are often left out after it, and どこかへ行いく is often just どこか行いく. Other particles follow the か: だれかに, どこかで.

None

何なに・だれ・どこ + も + negative

The verb or adjective at the end is negative. も takes the place of が and を. Other particles go before the も: だれにも, どこにも.

	か: some	も + negative: none
何なに what	何なにか something	何なにも nothing
だれ who	だれか someone	だれも no one
どこ where	どこか somewhere	どこにも, どこへも nowhere
いつ when	いつか someday	—

いつも is the odd one out: it means "always", not "never".

Something, someone, somewhere

You don't know which, or it doesn't matter which.

だれか来きました。

Someone came.

箱はこの中なかに何なにかあります。

There is something in the box.

いつか日本にほんへ行いきたいです。

I want to go to Japan someday.

どこかで少すこし休やすみましょう。

Let's rest somewhere for a while.

誰だれかに聞きいてください。

Please ask someone.

Something cold, somewhere quiet

English says "something cold". In Japanese the describing word needs a noun after it: もの (thing), 人ひと (person) or ところ (place).

何なにか冷つめたいものを飲のみたいです。

I want to drink something cold.

どこか静しずかなところで話はなしましょう。

Let's talk somewhere quiet.

Not said: 何なにか冷つめたいを飲のみたいです。

(I want to drink something cold.)

Nothing, no one, nowhere

English puts the "no" in the word: nothing, nobody. Japanese puts it in the verb, and without the negative ending the sentence doesn't work.

だれも来きませんでした。

No one came.

私わたしは何なにも買かいませんでした。

I did not buy anything.

Not said: 私わたしは何なにも買かいました。

(I bought nothing.)

か and も put their particles in opposite orders. With も, the に or と comes first.

誰だれかと話はなしました。

I talked with someone.

か, then と.

誰だれとも話はなしませんでした。

I didn't talk with anyone.

と, then も.

私わたしは先せん週しゅう末まつ、どこにも行いきませんでした。

I did not go anywhere last weekend.

"Anything" is three words

English says "anything" in a question, after "not", and for "whatever it is". Japanese has a word for each.

何なにか食たべましたか。

Did you eat anything?

A question or an offer: か.

何なにも食たべませんでした。

I didn't eat anything.

The verb is negative: も.

何なんでも食たべます。

I eat anything.

Whatever it is: でも.

"Anyone" and "anywhere" split the same way: だれか, だれも, だれでも; どこか, どこにも, どこでも.

A

週しゅう末まつ、どこかに行いきましたか。

Did you go anywhere over the weekend?

B

いいえ、どこにも行いきませんでした。

No, I didn't go anywhere.

だれか or だれが?

だれが来きましたか。

Who came?

You know someone came. You are asking who.

だれか来きましたか。

Did anyone come?

You don't know if anyone came. The answer is yes or no.

Close neighbours

かN5

At the end of a sentence, か asks a question.

これは何なんですか。

What is this?

もN5

After an ordinary noun, も is "too".

私わたしも行いきます。

I'm going too.

〜か知しっているN4

A question tucked inside a sentence also ends in か. Here 誰だれか is "who that is", not "someone".

あの人ひとが誰だれか知しっていますか。

Do you know who that person is?

Check yourself

1"I didn't do anything on Sunday."

日にち曜よう日びは何なにも（　　）。

Choose an answer to see why.

2What does this ask?

だれかいますか。

Choose an answer to see why.

3"I didn't tell anyone."

だれ（　　）言いいませんでした。

Choose an answer to see why.

More detail

なんか

In conversation 何なにか often comes out as なんか.

なんか食たべる？

Want something to eat?

A few

With a counting word, か gives "a few": 何なん人にんか a few people, 何なん回かいか a few times, いくつか a few things.

京きょう都とには何なん回かいか行いったことがあります。

I have been to Kyoto a few times.

Never, everyone, everywhere

"Not even once" is 一いち度ども with a negative. "Everyone" is みんな, not だれも. With a positive ending, どこも is "everywhere".

北ほっ海かい道どうには一いち度ども行いったことがありません。

I have never been to Hokkaido.

週しゅう末まつはどこも人ひとが多おおいです。

Everywhere is crowded on weekends.

More sentences

どこかへ行いきたいです。

I want to go somewhere.

その部屋へやにはだれもいなかった。

There was no one in that room.

今日きょうは何なにも買かいません。

I will not buy anything today.

暗くらくて、何なにも見みえません。

It's too dark to see anything.

休やすみの日ひはどこにも出でかけなかった。

I did not go out anywhere on my day off.

まだだれからも返へん事じが来きていません。

No reply has come from anyone yet.

私わたしは昨日きのう、だれとも話はなしませんでした。

I did not speak with anyone yesterday.