What is the difference between 「何か」(nanika) and 「何でも」(nandemo)?

何か (nanika): Means "something" (an unspecified thing). Used in positive sentences and questions. Example: 何か食べたいです。(Nanika tabetai desu.) = I want to eat something. 何でも (nandemo): Means "anything" (any item from a group is okay) or "everything" depending on context. Used with positive verbs. Example: 何でも食べられます。(Nandemo taberaremasu.) = I can eat anything.

Can the particle 「を」(o) be omitted after 「何か」(nanika) or 「何も」(nanimo)?

Yes. In spoken Japanese, the particle 「を」 is very frequently omitted after 「何か」 or 「何も」 when they function as direct objects. Example: 何なにか（を）飲のみたいです。= I want to drink something.

What’s the difference between questions with 何 and questions with 何か? How do you answer them?

Questions with 何 are wh-word questions (“what?”). The speaker is asking you to name the specific thing, so you answer by replacing 何 with the actual item. A: 今朝けさ、何なにを食たべましたか。= What did you eat this morning? B: おにぎりを食たべました。= I ate rice balls. Questions with 何か are yes/no questions (“did you eat something?”). The speaker is asking whether something happened / whether there was anything, not what it was (at least not in the first step). So you typically answer with はい / いいえ, and then you can add details if needed. A: 今朝けさ、何なにか食たべましたか。= Did you eat anything this morning? B1: はい、おにぎりを食たべました。= Yes, I ate an onigiri. B2: いいえ、何なにも食たべませんでした。= No, I didn’t eat anything.

nanika nanimo dokoka ni doko ni mo – How to Say “Something / Anything / Somewhere” in Japanese

Q: Besides 「どこかに」(dokoka ni), can other particles (like 「で」「へ」「から」「と」) be used with 「どこか」(dokoka)?

Yes, absolutely. どこか + Particle: わたしたち、どこか で 会あいましたか。 = Have we met somewhere? もうすぐGWなので、どこか へ 行いきたいです。 = It is almost Golden Week (= a vacation week in May) and I want to go somewhere.

contents

Video
1. Introduction
2. Meaning
- 何か（なにか）・何も（なにも）
- どこかに・どこにも
3. Sentence Structure
- 何か（なにか）・何も（なにも）
- どこかに・どこにも
4. When particles are omitted — and when they are not
- Particles often omitted
- Particles usually not omitted
5. Practice Time
FAQ
Conclusion

Video

Let’s watch this short video for a quick overview.

How to Use “nanika / nanimo / dokoka ni / doko ni mo (何か・何も・どこかに・どこにも)” in Japanese | Talking about Something or Somewhere
Source: gokigen japanese official YouTube Channel

1. Introduction

Want to say things like:

“I want to eat something.”
“I didn’t buy anything.”
“I went somewhere last weekend.”
“I didn’t go anywhere.”

In this lesson, we’ll learn how to express these ideas using:

何か（なにか） = something
何も（なにも） = not… anything
どこかに = somewhere
どこにも = not… anywhere

2. Meaning

何か（なにか）・何も（なにも）

In Japanese, 何か means “something,” while 何も means “not…anything” when used with a negative verb.

type	Japanese	Meaning
positive statements	何か（なにか）	something
questions	何か（なにか）	anything?
negative statements	何も（なにも）+ negative	not … anything

Example:

何か（なにか）たべたいです。= I want to eat something.
スーパーで何か（なにか）買かいましたか。 = Did you buy anything at the supermarket?
いいえ、何も（なにも）買いませんでした。= No, I did not buy anything.

どこかに・どこにも

“どこかに” means “somewhere” and “どこにも” means “not anywhere” or “nowhere” used with a negative verb. These expressions are used to talk about indefinite locations in Japanese.

type	Japanese	Meaning
positive statements	どこかに	somewhere
questions	どこかに	anywhere?
negative statements	どこにも	not … anywhere

Example:

週末しゅうまつ、どこかに行いきたいです。= I want to go somewhere this weekend.
週末、どこかに行きますか。= Are you going anywhere this weekend?
いいえ、どこにも行きません。= No, I am not going anywhere.

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3. Sentence Structure

何か（なにか）・何も（なにも）

To use 何か and 何も in sentences, place 何か before a verb in a positive sentence to mean “something.”

デパートで何なにか買かいましたか。
Did you buy anything at a department store?

Also place 何も before a verb in a negative sentence to mean “not…anything.”

Example: デパートで何なにも買かいませんでした。= I did not buy anything at a department store.

どこかに・どこにも

To express indefinite locations in Japanese, place “どこかに” before a verb in a positive sentence to mean “somewhere” or “anywhere”.

週末しゅうまつ、どこかに行いきたいです。
I want to go somewhere this weekend.

Also place “どこにも” before a verb in a negative sentence to mean “not anywhere” or “nowhere”.

週末しゅうまつ、どこにも行いきませんでした。
I did not go anywhere last weekend.

4. When particles are omitted — and when they are not

With words like 何なにか, 何なにも, どこか, and だれか, some particles are often omitted, but others are usually kept because they show important information such as direction, place, source, or relationship.

Particles often omitted

を (object marker)
- ✅ 何なにか食たべましょうか。= Shall we eat something?
- ▲ 何かを食べましょうか。– This sentence is not entirely wrong, but it is somewhat unfamiliar to native Japanese.
が (subject marker)
- そこに何なにか（が）います。= There’s something there.

Particles usually not omitted

で (place/action context)
- 私わたしたち、どこかで会あいましたか。= Have we met somewhere before?
- You never say “私たち、どこか会いましたか“
に (destination / target)
- 週末しゅうまつ、どこかに行いきたいです。 = I want to go somewhere this weekend.
- 週末、どこにも行きません。 = I’m not going anywhere this weekend.
へ (direction)
- もうすぐGWなので、どこかへ行いきたいです。 = It’s almost Golden Week, so I want to go somewhere.
から (source / origin)
- たくさんの会社かいしゃに応募おうぼしましたが、どこからも返事へんじがありませんでした。 = I applied to many companies, but I didn’t get a reply from any of them.

Similar rules also apply to other question words such as だれ. For example, in expressions like 「だれとも」, the particle と is not omitted because it shows the relationship “with.”

だれとも (dare to mo) + Negative Verb: not… with anyone
- きのう、だれとも話はなしませんでした。 = I didn’t talk with anyone yesterday.

5. Practice Time

Try answering the following using today’s grammar!

今月こんげつ、何なにか買かいましたか。 = Did you buy anything this month?
きのう、どこかに行いきましたか。 = Did you go anywhere yesterday?

Example Answers:

はい、Tシャツを買いました。= Yes, I bought a T-shirt.
いいえ、何も買いませんでした。= No, I did not buy anything.
はい、図書館としょかんに行きました。= Yes, I went to the library.
いいえ、どこにも行きませんでした。= No, I did not go anywhere.

FAQ

Q What is the difference between 「何か」(nanika) and 「何でも」(nandemo)?: A

何か (nanika): Means “something” (an unspecified thing). Used in positive sentences and questions.
Example: 何か食べたいです。(Nanika tabetai desu.) = I want to eat something.

何でも (nandemo): Means “anything” (any item from a group is okay) or “everything” depending on context. Used with positive verbs.
Example: 何でも食べられます。(Nandemo taberaremasu.) = I can eat anything.

Q Can the particle 「を」(o) be omitted after 「何か」(nanika) or 「何も」(nanimo)?: A

Yes. In spoken Japanese, the particle 「を」 is very frequently omitted after 「何か」 or 「何も」 when they function as direct objects.

Example: 何なにか（を）飲のみたいです。= I want to drink something.

Q Besides 「どこかに」(dokoka ni), can other particles (like 「で」「へ」「から」「と」) be used with 「どこか」(dokoka)?

Yes, absolutely. どこか + Particle:

わたしたち、どこかで会あいましたか。 = Have we met somewhere?
もうすぐGWなので、どこかへ行いきたいです。 = It is almost Golden Week (= a vacation week in May) and I want to go somewhere.

Q Are there similar patterns for “someone” / “anyone” / “no one” and “sometime” / “anytime” / “never”?

Yes, these follow the same pattern using 「だれ」(dare – who) :

だれか (dareka): someone / anyone (in questions)
だれか来きましたか。= Did someone come?
だれも (daremo) + Negative Verb: no one / not… anyone
だれも来きませんでした。= No one came.
だれにも (dare ni mo) + Negative Verb: not… to anyone
だれにも言いいませんでした。= I didn’t tell anyone (about it).
だれとも (dare to mo) + Negative Verb: not… with anyone
きのう、だれとも話はなしませんでした。= I didn’t talk with anyone yesterday.

Q What’s the difference between questions with 何 and questions with 何か? How do you answer them?: A

Questions with 何 are wh-word questions (“what?”). The speaker is asking you to name the specific thing, so you answer by replacing 何 with the actual item.

A: 今朝けさ、何なにを食たべましたか。= What did you eat this morning?
B: おにぎりを食たべました。= I ate rice balls.

Questions with 何か are yes/no questions (“did you eat something?”). The speaker is asking whether something happened / whether there was anything, not what it was (at least not in the first step). So you typically answer with はい / いいえ, and then you can add details if needed.

A: 今朝けさ、何なにか食たべましたか。= Did you eat anything this morning?
B1: はい、おにぎりを食たべました。= Yes, I ate an onigiri.
B2: いいえ、何なにも食たべませんでした。= No, I didn’t eat anything.

Conclusion

Mastering なにか・なにも・どこかに・どこにも helps you sound more natural and handle a wider range of daily conversations in Japanese.

Now you can say things like:

“I want to eat something.”
“I didn’t buy anything.”
“I went somewhere last weekend.”
“I didn’t go anywhere.”

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Reviewer: Chihiro Hanami

Japanese native and language educator with about 10 years of experience teaching and developing courses and materials.
She studied and taught in 5 different countries. Her most recent teaching role was at University of Pennsylvania in the U.S.
Other than teaching all levels of Japanese in various settings from personal tutoring to college courses, she also has experience writing articles about Japanese language and culture and teaching English.
Education: M.A. in Japanese pedagogy, Purdue University. B.A from the school of Japanese language and culture, Tsukuba University.