Structure
何か + Phrase
何も + Phrase[ない]
Details
Part of Speech
Noun
Word Type
Adverbial Particle
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Standard
品詞
名詞
単語の種類
副助詞
使用域
一般
About なにか・なにも
何か and 何も are constructions that are used in Japanese for expressing 'something', 'anything', or 'nothing'. The main difference between the two being that 何も is used with negative phrases (phrases that use ない or ありません), while 何か is used in other cases.
To use this expression, we simply need to put 何か or 何も before the desired phrase.
Caution
There are several casual forms of these expressions that are used in speech, or in certain dialects. These forms are なんにか, なんか, or なんにも, なんも.
Examples
私が何か嫌な ことをしましたか?
Did I do something you didn't like?
いいえ、何もしていませんよ。
No, I didn't do anything (wrong).
日本に行って、何か食べたいものがありますか。
When you go to Japan, is there something that you want to eat?
頑張って勉強したけど何もわからない。
I studied diligently, but I don't understand anything.
彼は何か答えを探している。
He is searching for some kind of answer.
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Online
How to use なんか
Maggie Sensei
Difference between 何も and 何でも
Japanese StackExchange
Using question words
Tae Kim
Offline
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 196
みんなの日本語 I
Page 87 [CH 13]
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 100
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なにか・なにも – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (14 in total)
nekoyama
もの is the word もの meaning “thing”. It’s modified by 食べたい and becomes a thing one wants to eat. が marks it as a subject.
znic1998
makes sense
sunflowii
SAMPLE SENTENCE FROM LESSON AND ITS TRANSLATION:
" あのレストランの料理は何も美味しくないでしょう。
There is nothing good at that restaurant, right?"Why I find this confusing: なにも + 美味しくない seems to me that it’s “nothing not delicious” so anything delicious.
I know that なにも is used with a phrase that is negative BUT なにも can be translated to both nothing and anything. So how do you know when it’s nothing and when it’s anything?
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