なに

Japanese

Pronoun

なに • (nani) 

1. 何: interrogative pronoun; what
   • c. late 9th-mid-10th century, Taketori Monogatari:

     これを見て、舟より下りて、「山の名を何（なに）とか申」と問ふ。女答へていはく、「これは蓬萊の山なり」と答ふ。

     Seeing this, having gotten off the ship, he asked "What do you call this mountain?" The woman answered, "This is the Hōrai mountain".

   • c. late 9th-mid-10th century, Taketori Monogatari:

     なに仰る。いま金すこしにこそあなれ。かならずをくるべき物にこそあなれ。

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• なにか (nani ka)
• なにも (nani mo)
• なにごと (nanigoto)
• なにばかり (nanibakari)
• なにぞ (nani zo)

References

• Sakakura, Atsuyoshi with Yūichi Ōtsu, Hiroshi Tsukishima, Toshiko Abe, and Imai Gen'e (1957) Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 9: Taketori Monogatari, Ise Monogatari, Yamato Monogatari (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN.