何か

Japanese

Kanji in this term
何
なに Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Etymology

From 何 (nani, “what”) +‎ か (ka).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) なにか [náꜜnìkà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [na̠ɲ̟ika̠]

• (Tokyo) なんか [náꜜǹkà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [nã̠ŋka̠]

Pronoun

何(なに)か or 何(なん)か • (nanika or nanka) 

1. something

   何(なに)かちょうだい。

   Nanika chōdai.

   Give me something.

   彼(かれ)、私(わたし)のこと何(なに)か言(い)ってました？

   Kare, watashi no koto nanika ittemashita?

   Did he say anything about me?

Usage notes

• Often written with hiragana (なにか) instead of with kanji (何か).
• Also pronounced and spelled as なんか (nanka) which is an informal and casual version, often used between friends and those of equal status.