noun
what article; what clause; what section
Used to ask which specific article, clause, or section of a legal document, contract, or regulation is being referred to.
この契約書の何条に違反しているのですか。
Which article of this contract does it violate?
noun
which street
Used when asking which numbered street in a grid system, especially in cities like Kyoto where streets are named with 条 (e.g., 一条, 二条).
京都の何条に住んでいますか。
Which street (numbered with 条) do you live on in Kyoto?
adverb
how can one possibly; cannot possibly; there is no way
Archaic adverbial use expressing impossibility or strong denial. Not used in modern Japanese; found in classical texts.
何条、そのようなことがあろうか。
How could such a thing possibly happen? (archaic)
何条か is a more specific interrogative form meaning 'which article?' or 'which clause?', while 何条 alone can be used in broader contexts.
Compound of 何 (what) and 条 (article, clause, or street number). The archaic adverbial sense likely developed from rhetorical questions about legal articles, but the exact derivation is uncertain.