何 — Kanji Reference

何 (what): 7 strokes, JLPT N5. On: カ. Kun: なに、なん.

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何

Property Value
Meaning what
Strokes 7
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) カ
Kun-reading (訓読み) なに、なん
Radical 亻 (人) - Person [U+4EBB]

Stroke Order

The stroke order follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.

  1. Stroke 1: The vertical line of the person radical (left side).
  2. Stroke 2: The slanted line of the person radical.
  3. Stroke 3: The top horizontal bar of the right component.
  4. Stroke 4: The vertical line descending from the center of the top bar.
  5. Stroke 5: The horizontal hook at the bottom right.
  6. Stroke 6: The diagonal stroke inside the box.
  7. Stroke 7: The final dot/flick inside the box.

Radical Analysis

The kanji 何 is composed of the radical 亻 (person) on the left and 可 (can/possible) on the right. While the radical provides the "person" context, the right side 可 acts primarily as a phonetic indicator (providing the ka sound). Together, they form the interrogative "what," representing a person asking about the possibility or identity of something.

Mnemonic

Imagine a person (亻) standing in front of a giant question mark, holding a sign that says "Can (可) you tell me what this is?" The person is confused and asking "What?" because they cannot understand the sign.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

カ (Ka)

Word Reading Romaji English
如何 いか ika how / in what way
何事 なにごと nanigoto everything / what kind of thing
何人 なんにん nannin how many people

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

なに (Nani)

Word Reading Romaji English
何か なにか nanika something
何でも なんでも nandemo anything

なん (Nan)

Word Reading Romaji English
何時 なんじ nanji what time
何歳 なんさい nansai how old

JLPT N5 Words Using 何

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
何 なに nani what N5
何人 なんにん nannin how many people N5
何時 なんじ nanji what time N5
何歳 なんさい nansai how old N5
何曜日 なんようび nanyoubi what day of the week N5
何月 なんがつ nangatsu what month N5
何日 なんにち nannichi what day of the month N5
何冊 なんさつ nansatsu how many books N5
何回 なんかい nankai how many times N5
何枚 なんまい nanmai how many flat objects N5

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
何をしていますか。 何(なに)をしていますか。 Nani o shite imasu ka. What are you doing?
それは何ですか。 それは何(なに)ですか。 Sore wa nan desu ka. What is that?
今、何時ですか。 今(いま)、何時(なんじ)ですか。 Ima, nanji desu ka. What time is it now?
何を食べたいですか。 何(なに)を食(た)べたいですか。 Nani o tabetai desu ka. What do you want to eat?
何人来ますか。 何人(なんにん)来(く)ますか。 Nannin kimasu ka. How many people are coming?
何でもいいです。 何(なん)でもいいです。 Nandemo ii desu. Anything is fine.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
何 なに what Has the person radical (亻).
荷 に luggage Has the grass radical (艹) on top; used for "baggage."
  • 何 (What): Used for questions.
  • 荷 (Luggage): Used in words like 荷物 (nimotsu - luggage). The grass radical suggests something carried or bundled.

Usage Frequency Note

何 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It is essential for daily conversation, appearing in almost every basic interaction involving questions. It is used equally in speech and formal writing.