何

• 読み: なに
• ローマ字: nani
• 漢字の分解: 何 (ka/nani/nan) — what
• 発音: /na.ni/

意味

What. The basic interrogative pronoun for asking about things.

Has two readings: なに before most particles and words, and なん before counters, です, and words beginning with d/t/n sounds (何時 = なんじ, 何ですか = なんですか). One of the most essential question words. Combines with many particles: 何が (what, subject), 何を (what, object), 何で (why/by what means).

例文

1. これは何ですか。
2. 何を食べたいですか。
3. 何が好きですか。

使い方ガイド

場面: questions, daily life, conversation

トーン: inquisitive

起源と歴史

One of the oldest interrogative pronouns in Japanese, attested from the earliest written records. The kanji 何 is of Chinese origin, composed of 亻 (person) and 可 (possible), suggesting 'what is possible for a person to know.'

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal