Something, someone: なにか・だれか・どこか
なにか／だれか／どこか（へ）＋ verb
なにか／だれか／どこか／いつか = something, someone, somewhere, someday. With も + negative: nothing, no one, nowhere.
In short
Question word + か = something indefinite: なにか (something), だれか (someone), どこか (somewhere), いつか (someday). Not to be confused with + も and a negative verb: なにも (nothing).
- なにか 飲みますか。nani ka nomimasu kaWould you like something to drink?
- だれか いますか。dare ka imasu kaIs anyone there?
- 日曜日に どこかへ 行きましたか。nichiyōbi ni doko ka e ikimashita kaDid you go anywhere on Sunday?
The basics
Question word + か = something indefinite. なにか (something), だれか (someone), どこか (somewhere), いつか (someday). They're often used in questions: “do you want something?”, “is anyone there?”. Where English switches to “anything” or “anyone” in questions, Japanese keeps the same word.
| With か | Meaning | With も + negative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| なにか | something | なにも | nothing |
| だれか | someone | だれも | no one |
| どこか | somewhere | どこも | nowhere |
| いつか | someday | ― | ― |
In practice
を and が usually disappear after なにか and だれか; へ and に stay: どこかへ 行きました.
- なにか 飲みますか。nani ka nomimasu kaWould you like something to drink?
- だれか いますか。dare ka imasu kaIs anyone there?
- 日曜日に どこかへ 行きましたか。nichiyōbi ni doko ka e ikimashita kaDid you go anywhere on Sunday?
Question and answer
Watch the difference: なにを 食べますか asks what you're eating (answer: a dish). なにか 食べますか asks whether you're eating anything (answer: yes or no). The answer often starts with はい、～を… or いいえ、なにも…
- なにか 買いましたか。——いいえ、なにも 買いませんでした。nani ka kaimashita ka. iie, nani mo kaimasen deshitaDid you buy anything? — No, nothing at all.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up なにか (something) and なにも (nothing).
- Answering なにか ～か with an object: it's a yes/no question, so start with はい or いいえ.
- Keeping を: “なにかを 食べますか” is possible, but the natural form is なにか 食べますか.
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Oedo Line (Daily life) of the Tokyo subway.