Japanese

なん
Meaning: what; how many (when used before counters)
Part of Speech: Noun, Prefix Alternative Readings: なに

Listen to pronunciation

Handwriting

何

Example sentences

What time will you come?
これって何の本
What book is this?
彼は何といいましたか
What did he say?
ドアをノックしたが、中からは何の返事もなかった。
I knocked on the door, but there was no reply from inside.
その様は何だ。
What a sight you are!
この店でいちばん人気のメニューは何ですか?
What is the most popular menu item in this shop?
今日の夕飯は何ですか?
What is today's dinner?
理由が何であれ、遅刻は許されない。
Whatever the reason may be, being late is not permitted.
犯人は現場に何の痕跡も残さなかった。
The culprit left no trace at the scene.
その二つの企業の間に、何の接点もない。
There is no common ground between those two companies.

Usage Notes

Read as 'nan' before certain sounds (t, d, n) and counters. Read as 'nani' in other contexts. Used as an interrogative pronoun and as a prefix for asking quantities or measurements. Common compounds include 何時 (what time), 何人 (how many people), 何個 (how many items).

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