also: なにぞ · なぞ
Used as a pronoun meaning 'something', often in older or literary contexts. In modern Japanese, 何か (なにか) is more common.
Isn't there something interesting to talk about?
expression, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
Interrogative 'what', often used in casual or dialectal speech. Usually written in kana. Can also be used as a modifier with の.
What's that?
Adverbial use meaning 'why' or 'how', often rhetorical or exclamatory. Can express surprise or emphasis.
Why did you do such a thing?
なんぞ用か？
What do you want?
How would I know?
Standard kanji-kana spelling; the reading なんぞ is the most common.
Rarely used kanji form.
Alternate reading, somewhat more formal or emphatic; less common than なんぞ.
Contracted colloquial reading; often used in casual speech.
Combination of interrogative 何 (なに/なん) and emphatic particle ぞ. The contracted forms なんぞ and なぞ developed from なにぞ.