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何階 (なんがい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

何なん階がい

also: なんかい

JLPTN5

Meanings

1

noun

what floor; which floor

Used to ask which floor of a building. Both readings なんがい and なんかい are common; なんがい is slightly more formal.

すみません、このビルは何なん階がいですか？
Excuse me, what floor is this building?
会かい議ぎ室しつは何なん階がいにありますか。
Which floor is the meeting room on?

Written forms

何階
- なんがい
  Standard kanji spelling. The reading なんがい is more common in careful speech; なんかい is also widely used.
- なんかい
  Common colloquial reading. Both なんがい and なんかい are acceptable, but なんがい is often preferred in formal contexts.
なんかい

Kanji

何what
階storey, stair, counter for storeys of a building

Similar words

何なん
何 is the general question word 'what', while 何階 specifically asks about floor numbers.
階かい
階 is the counter for floors; 何階 combines it with the question word to ask 'which floor'.

Etymology

Compound of 何 (nan, 'what') + 階 (kai/gai, 'floor'). The reading なんがい results from rendaku (sequential voicing) of かい to がい after なん.