German word

nichts

Pronunciation

IPA/nɪçts/

Meaning

  • pronounnothing

Example

Auf dem Tisch liegt nichts.

There's nothing on the table.

Illustration for nichts (nothing)

More examples

Er weiß nichts davon.

He knows nothing about it.

Core concept

A completely empty place where an expected thing or amount should be.

Common phrases

  • nichts los

    nothing going on

  • nichts davon wissen

    know nothing about it

Similar words

nix: A colloquial way to express that nothing exists.
niemand: Not one person is present.

Definition in German

Ausdrückt, dass etwas nicht vorhanden ist.

Word origin

Nichts comes from Old High German niwiht, formed from ni 'not' and wiht 'thing', and developed through Middle High German into the modern pronoun.

Usage tips

  • Nichts refers to no thing or matter itself, while kein normally negates a noun, as in kein Buch 'no book'.

Opposites

Word lists with this word