कोई नहीं / कुछ नहीं

Nobody and Nothing

Level 2Sounds Like kō'ī nahīṁ aura kucha nahīṁ

कोई ... नहीं means nobody, and कुछ ... नहीं means nothing: आज कोई नहीं आया.

How It Works

To say nobody or nothing, use कोई or कुछ with नहीं.

HindiMeaning
घर पर कोई नहीं है।Nobody is at home.
आज कोई नहीं आया।Nobody came today.
मुझे कुछ नहीं चाहिए।I don't need anything.
मैंने कुछ नहीं कहा।I didn't say anything.

नहीं usually sits right before the verb. You need both words: leave out नहीं and the sentence means the opposite, as घर पर कोई है means someone is at home.

As short answers they stand alone: कौन है? कोई नहीं। (Who is it? Nobody.) क्या हुआ? कुछ नहीं। (What happened? Nothing.)

When nobody needs a postposition, कोई becomes किसी: किसी ने दरवाज़ा नहीं खोला (Nobody opened the door), मैं किसी को नहीं जानता (I don't know anybody).

For nothing at all or nobody at all, add भी: कुछ भी नहीं, कोई भी नहीं.

Examples (5)

  1. घर पर कोई नहीं है।

    Nobody is at home.

    कोई with नहीं means nobody.

  2. आज कोई नहीं आया।

    Nobody came today.

    नहीं comes right before the verb.

  3. मुझे कुछ नहीं चाहिए।

    I don't need anything.

    कुछ with नहीं means nothing.

  4. मैंने कुछ नहीं कहा।

    I didn't say anything.

    The pattern works in the past too.

  5. किसी ने दरवाज़ा नहीं खोला।

    Nobody opened the door.

    Before ने, कोई becomes किसी.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting ने after कोई नहीं, as in English nobody opened.

    कोई नहीं ने दरवाज़ा खोला।
    किसी ने दरवाज़ा नहीं खोला।

    कोई becomes किसी before ने, and नहीं moves next to the verb.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

कोई नहीं / कुछ नहींLevel 2Nobody and Nothing

Learn This First

Nobody and nothing are कोई and कुछ with नहीं.

Words in This Pattern

कोईकुछ