English–Japanese

“something” in Japanese

Japanese

Pronunciation

Romajinanika

Example

何か食べたいです。nani ka ta be ta i de su

I want something to eat.

Illustration for 何か (something)

How to say “something” in Japanese

“Something” in Japanese is 何か (nanika).

Points to a thing or matter whose exact identity is left open.

Full entry for 何か: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 何か

何か聞こえますか。nani ka ki ko e ma su ka

Can you hear something?

何か聞きたいことがありますか。nani ka ki ki ta i ko to ga a ri ma su ka

Is there anything you would like to ask?

Tips for using 何か

  • 何か (nanika) differs from 何 (nani) because it refers to an unspecified thing, while 何 (nani) asks for its identity, as in 何ですか (nan desu ka).

“something” in other languages