what
On'yomi (音読み)
- カ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- なに
- なん
- なに-
- なん-
About this kanji
The kanji 「何」 means "what" and is commonly used in questions. It's mostly seen as a noun, often asking about things or situations. You will encounter it in compounds like 「何か」 (なにか), which means "something," and 「何と」 (なんと), meaning "what about" or "what," used to express surprise. Another useful compound is 「何も」 (なにも), which means "(not) anything" and is often used in negative sentences. Additionally, 「何回」 (なんかい) means "how many times," and 「何度」 (なんど) refers to "how many times" in the context of temperature or occurrences. Remember, when using 「何」 in conversations, it can help clarify questions or uncertainties.
Example sentences
何を考えているの？
What are you thinking about?
Meanings across languages
- English
- what
- Tiếng Việt
- gì
- 日本語
- 何
- 한국어
- 무엇
- 中文
- 什么
- id
- apa
- th
- อะไร
- es
- qué
- fr
- quoi
- de
- was
- pt
- o que
Common compounds
- 何かなにかsomething, some, any
- 何となんとwhat, how, what (a) ...!
- 何もなにも(not) anything, (nothing) at all, (not) any
- 何回なんかいhow many times
- 何度なんどhow many times, how many degrees (temperature, angle, etc.)
- 何のどのwhich, what (way)
- 何人なにびとanyone, any person, whoever
- 何とかなんとかsomething, something or other, so-and-so
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.