何なん人にん

な

ん

に

ん

Meanings

Used to ask about or state the number of people. In questions, it means 'how many people?'; in statements, it can mean 'several people' or 'a number of people'.

パーティーには何なん人にんくらい来きますか。
About how many people will come to the party?
何なん人にんかがもう帰かえりました。
A few people have already gone home.

See all 158 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に何なん人にんいますかhow many people are there in <place>?
この教きょう室しつに何なん人にんいますか。
How many people are in this classroom?
何なん人にん様さまですかhow many people (are in your party)? (polite, used by staff)
いらっしゃいませ。何なん人にん様さまですか。
Welcome! How many people are in your party?
何なん人にんぐらい〈動どう詞し〉about how many people (do something)
パーティーには何なん人にんぐらい来きますか。
About how many people are coming to the party?

Expressions

何なん人にんかsome people; several people; a few people
何なん人にんでもany number of people

Grammar

一人ひとり・二に本ほん・三さん冊さつnumbers and countersN5

Kanji

何what
人person

Related words

何なん名めい
何名 is a more formal or polite way to ask 'how many people,' often used in business, reservations, or service settings, while 何人 is the everyday, neutral term.

Don't confuse with

何なに人じん
Written identically as 何人 but read なにじん, this word asks about a person's nationality ('what nationality'), whereas 何人 read なんにん asks about the number of people.
数すう人にん
数人 (すうにん) states 'several people', while 何人 (なんにん), which looks almost identical in writing, is the question word 'how many people'.
何なん人にんか
何人 asks 'how many people?' as a question, while 何人か statement means 'some/several people' with an unspecified number.
何なに人びと
何人 read なにびと means 'anyone/any person' in formal writing, while the same kanji read なんにん simply asks or states 'how many people'.

Etymology

Compound of 何 (nan, 'what') and 人 (nin, counter for people). The reading なんにん is a regular combination.