何
What
何 is the Japanese word for 'what'. It is used to ask about objects, actions, or quantities. Its pronunciation shifts between nani and nan depending on the grammar that follows it.
How It Works
何 is a versatile question word used across all levels of politeness. Understanding its two readings is key to natural speech:
1. Read as なん (nan):
- Before the copula です or だ: 何ですか (What is it?).
- Before counters: 何時 (なんじ - what time), 何人 (なんにん - how many people).
- Before the particle の: 何の本 (What kind of book?).
- Before words starting with t, d, or n sounds: 何と言いましたか (What did you say?).
2. Read as なに (nani):
- Before particles を, が, も, and か: 何を食べますか (What will you eat?).
- When standing alone or used informally at the end of a sentence: 「何？」 (What?).
Special Case: Before the particle に, both readings are used, though なにに (nani ni) is very common in polite phrases like 「何にしますか」 (What will you decide on?).
Examples (5)
- これは何ですか。
What is this?
Word by Word: This (topic) what is (question)?
Here, 何 is followed by the copula です, so it is pronounced as 'nan'.
- 今、何をしていますか。
What are you doing now?
Word by Word: Now, what (object) doing are (question)?
Since 何 is followed by the object marker を, it is pronounced as 'nani'.
- 何の本を読んでいますか。
What [kind of] book are you reading?
Word by Word: What 's book (object) reading are (question)?
When followed by the particle の, it is pronounced as 'nan'.
- 朝ごはんに何を食べましたか。
What did you eat for breakfast?
Word by Word: Breakfast for what (object) ate (question)?
Pronounced 'nani' because it precedes the particle を.
- 何時（なんじ）に寝ますか。
What time do you go to bed?
Word by Word: What-hour at sleep (question)?
When paired with a counter like 時 (hour), it is always pronounced 'nan'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'nani' before the copula 'desu'.
これはなにですか。これはなんですか。Before 'desu', the pronunciation must shift to 'nan' for ease of flow.
Using 'nan' before the object particle 'o'.
なんを飲みますか。なにを飲みますか。Before the particle 'o', 'nani' is the correct and natural pronunciation.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand '何' (what), you need to be familiar with basic kanji, how to form a question using the particle 'か', and the polite copula 'です' for basic sentence construction.
- Kanji basics
The word '何' is a basic kanji character, so understanding the fundamentals of kanji is necessary to read and write it.
Foundations - かQuestion Marker
The word '何' is primarily used in questions, which in Japanese are typically marked by the question particle 'か'.
Level 1 - ですCopula (Polite)
The most common introductory use of '何' is in the phrase '何ですか', which requires knowledge of the polite copula.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- どんなWhat Kind of
Used to ask 'what kind of' specifically, whereas 何 is more general.
Level 1 - 誰Who
The interrogative pronoun for 'who', following similar sentence structures as 何.
Level 1 - どこWhere
The interrogative pronoun for 'where', another foundational question word.
Level 1 - 時/分/秒Time Counters
Time counters that frequently pair with 何 (pronounced 'nan') to ask 'what time'.
Level 1 - んですExplanatory です
A common explanatory ending that learners often confuse with the question word 'nan' due to the similar sound.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice 何 in Bubblegum
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