何(なん)〜

なん
prefix
what (kind of), how many
grammaticalnumber
1. what (kind of)
Prefix used with certain nouns to ask 'what' or 'which' type of something.
What day of the week shall we meet?
What time do you wake up?
What month were you born in?
What language are you studying?
What number is it?
2. how many, how much
Used with counters to ask about quantity.
How many people are there?
With counter
How many times did you go?
How many are there?
How old are you?
何(なん)本(ぽん)買(か)いましたか。
How many (bottles/pens) did you buy?

Pronunciation: なん vs なに

  • なん: before counters, before sounds of the た, だ and な rows, and before の (何(なん)の)
  • なに: Before other sounds, or standalone

Common patterns

Related words

  • 何(なん)で (why; by what means)
  • 何(なん)でも (anything, whatever)
  • 何(なん)とか (somehow, something or other)