The interrogative word “何” has two readings: なに and なん. ☺︎ Let’s find out the difference.
① なに + particle
Let’s look at the rule for なに.
The first point is that the reading なに is followed by a particle. For example:
今夜は何を食べますか？
/konya wa nani o tabemasu ka?/
What will you eat tonight?
旅行中、何が一番楽しかったですか？
/ryokoo chuu, nani ga ichiban tanoshikatta desu ka?/
What did you enjoy most during your trip?
会社までいつも何で行っていますか？
/kaisha made itsumo nani de itte imasu ka?/
What do you always use to get to your office? (How do you get to your office?)
飲み物は何にしますか？
/nomimono wa nani ni shimasu ka?/
What would you like to drink?
何かいい案はありますか？ ※It can be “なんか” in a casual occasion: 何かいい案ある？
/nani ka ii an wa arimasu ka?/
Do you have any suggestions?
② なに modifies a noun
The second point is なに is used when modifying a noun. For example:
何語
それは何語ですか？
/sore wa nani go desu ka?/
What language is it?
何色
何色が好きですか？
/nani iro ga suki desu ka?/
What colour do you like?
③ なん + ですか？
Let’s move on to the reading なん.
なん goes together with ですか when asking a questions politely. For example:
好きな食べ物は何ですか？
/suki na tabemono wa nan desu ka?/
What is your favourite food?
それは何ですか？
/sore wa nan desu ka?/
What is that?
③ なん describes the number (quantity)
Another point is なん is used to describe the number of the targeted noun. For example:
何人
何人家族ですか？
/nan nin kazoku desu ka?/
How many people are in your family?
何階
カメラは何階にありますか？
/kamera wa nan kai ni arimasu ka?/
Which floor can I find cameras?
How to answer the questions with 何
Questions with 何 can be answered with です as a substitute of a verb. What does it mean by it? See some examples below.
Q: いつも朝ごはんに何を食べますか？
/itsumo asagohan ni nani o tabemasu ka?/
What do you usually eat for breakfast?
A: 朝はいつもコーヒーだけです。（朝はいつもコーヒーだけを飲みます。）
/asa wa itsumo koohii dake desu./
I always just drink coffee.
Q: 今夜は何をしますか？
/kon’ya wa nani o shimasu ka?/
What are you doing tonight?
A: 料理と洗濯です。（料理と洗濯をします。）
/ryoori to sentaku desu./
I will cook and do the laundry.
Q: クラスに何人いますか？
/kurasu ni nan nin imasu ka?/
How many people are in your class?
A: 20人です。（20人います。）
/nijuu nin desu./
There are 20 people.
Q: この服は何色ありますか？
/kono fuku wa nan shoku arimasu ka?/
How many colours are available for this piece of clothing?
A: 4色です。（4色あります。）
/yon shoku desu./
There are 4 colours.
Common words with 何
Here is a small list of commonly used words with なに and なん. Kanji may be the same, but the reading and the meaning can be different.
| なに | なん |
| 何人（なにじん） What nationality | 何人（なんにん） How many people |
| 何色（なにいろ） What colour | 何色（なんしょく） How many colours |
| 何科（なにか） What course | 何個（なんこ） How many things |
| 何大学（なにだいがく） What university | 何歳（なんさい） How old (age) |
| 何県（なにけん） What prefecture | 何ヶ月（なんかげつ） How many months |
| 何語（なにご） What language | 何年（なんねん） How many years |
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