何(なん)の

なんの
pre-noun adjectival
what kind of; what ~; (with negative) no ~ at all
grammatical
1. what; what kind of
Placed before a noun to ask what sort of thing it is or what it is for.
何(なん)の本(ほん)ですか。
What kind of book is it?
これは何(なん)の音(おと)だろう。
I wonder what that sound is.
この会(かい)は何(なん)の目的(もくてき)で開(ひら)かれているのか説明(せつめい)してください。
Please explain what purpose this meeting is being held for.
2. no ~ at all; not the slightest (with a negative)
In the pattern 何(なん)の…も + negative, it denies the existence of the thing completely: not a single one, none whatsoever.
何(なん)の問題(もんだい)もない。
There's no problem at all.
何(なん)の連絡(れんらく)もなく休(やす)んだ。
He was absent without any word at all.
何(なん)の根拠(こんきょ)もないうわさに、振(ふ)り回(まわ)されたくない。
I don't want to be jerked around by rumors with no basis whatsoever.

Usage

Sense 2 always takes the frame 何(なん)の + noun + も + negative. Dropping the も changes it back into a question.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • どんな: what kind of — asks about qualities; 何(なん)の asks about identity or purpose
  • 何(なに)か: something — a pronoun, not a noun modifier

Related Words

Related: 何(なん)のために (for what purpose; why)
Compare: どんな (what kind of)
Compare: 何(なに)か (something)
general
Added 2026.8.1 6:20 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:29
30000/30296_nanno