The kanji 何 ("what") has two readings — なに and なん — and beginners are often left to guess which one applies each time. You do not have to guess. The split is not random and it is not memorized word by word: it is driven by the sound that follows 何. Once you know the rule, you can read any 何 correctly on sight, even in a word you have never met. This page states that rule and drills it.
The rule in one line
Read 何 as なん before (1) any counter, (2) the copula です／だ, (3) the particle の, and (4) a word beginning with a t, d, or n sound. Read it as なに everywhere else.
| Read なん before… | Examples |
|---|---|
| counters | 何人 nannin, 何時 nanji, 何回 nankai, 何本 nanbon |
| です / だ | 何ですか nan desu ka, 何だ nan da |
| の | 何の nan no |
| t / d / n sounds | 何と nan to, 何で nande, 何に nan ni |
| Read なに before… | Examples |
|---|---|
| を | 何を nani o |
| が | 何が nani ga |
| も | 何も nani mo |
| か | 何か nani ka |
| a pause / standing alone | 「何？」nani? |
Why the rule exists (it's phonology, not vocabulary)
The なん forms all share one thing: the following sound is a coronal consonant — made with the tongue tip at or near the ridge behind the teeth (t, d, n, and the affricates in です/じ). Japanese ん (a moraic nasal) blends smoothly into these, so なに contracts to なん before them. Counters overwhelmingly begin with such sounds or trigger the same fusion, which is why "before a counter" is a reliable shorthand. This is exactly the kind of assimilation you see all over the counter system, where numbers fuse with the sound that follows. In other words, なん is what なに becomes when the next sound pulls the tongue forward — a rule, not a list.
なに in action
週末は何をしますか。
shūmatsu wa nani o shimasu ka
What are you doing this weekend?
何が一番好きですか。
nani ga ichiban suki desu ka
What do you like best?
お腹すいたけど、家に何もない。
onaka suita kedo, ie ni nani mo nai
I'm hungry, but there's nothing at home.
冷蔵庫に何か入ってる？
reizōko ni nani ka haitteru?
Is there anything in the fridge?
In every case above, 何 is followed by を, が, も, or か — none of them a counter, です, の, or a t/d/n sound — so the reading is なに.
なん in action
これは何ですか。
kore wa nan desu ka
What is this?
今、何時ですか。
ima, nanji desu ka
What time is it now?
会議に何人来ますか。
kaigi ni nannin kimasu ka
How many people are coming to the meeting?
今、何の話をしてたの？
ima, nan no hanashi o shiteta no?
What were you just talking about?
何で会社まで来るんですか？
nande kaisha made kuru n desu ka?
How do you get to the office? / Why do you come to the office?
何ですか, 何時, 何人, 何の, and 何で all put a counter, です, の, or a coronal consonant right after 何, so each is read なん.
When the reading is the meaning
A few 何-compounds have two readings that mean different things — proof that the reading carries information, not just pronunciation:
| Written | なん reading | なに reading |
|---|---|---|
| 何人 | なんにん = how many people | なにじん = what nationality |
| 何色 | なんしょく = how many colors | なにいろ = what color |
あの人は何人ですか。
ano hito wa nanijin desu ka
What nationality is that person?
信号は何色に変わりましたか。
shingō wa naniiro ni kawarimashita ka
What color did the traffic light turn?
When 人 or 色 is acting as a counter ("how many people / how many colors"), you get なんにん / なんしょく. When they are ordinary nouns being asked about ("nationality / color"), the counter rule doesn't apply and you fall back to なに → なにじん / なにいろ. Same kanji, opposite meaning, signalled entirely by the reading.
A genuine gray area: 何で
何で has two lives. As "why," it is always なんで (nande). As "by what means / with what," careful speech reads it なにで (nani de) to keep it distinct from "why," though in everyday conversation many speakers just say なんで for both and rely on context.
京都まで何で行きますか。
Kyōto made nani de ikimasu ka
By what means will you get to Kyoto?
Here the intended sense is "by what transport," so the careful reading is なにで; say なんで and a listener might hear "why go to Kyoto?" This is the one spot where the rule genuinely bends, so it's worth flagging honestly rather than pretending it's clean.
The rule holds inside set expressions
The same phonology governs the many fixed 何-expressions, so you can read them on sight. Notice that when a counter comes first, a trailing も or か does not change anything — the counter has already forced なん:
| Expression | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何度も / 何回も | nando mo / nankai mo | many times, over and over (counter → なん) |
| 何とか | nantoka | somehow, one way or another (と → なん) |
| 何となく | nantonaku | somehow, for no clear reason (と → なん) |
| 何て / 何という | nante / nan to iu | what a…! / how…! (t sound → なん) |
何度も電話したのに、出てくれなかった。
nando mo denwa shita noni, dete kurenakatta
I called over and over, but you didn't pick up.
何とか間に合いそうです。
nantoka maniai sō desu
It looks like I'll somehow make it in time.
Contrast 何度も (なんど — 度 is a counter) with 何も (なに — も directly on 何, no counter): the presence or absence of a counter, not the も, decides the reading.
There is also a register point worth knowing. Bare 何だ／何だよ, read なんだ (before だ), is blunt and confrontational — fine among close friends, rude to a stranger:
えっ、何だよ、急に。
e', nan da yo, kyū ni
Huh, what's with you, all of a sudden? (casual, blunt)
Common Mistakes
❌ なにですか？
Incorrect — before です, 何 must be read なん.
✅ 何ですか。（なんですか）
nan desu ka
What is it?
❌ なんを食べますか。
Incorrect — before を, 何 is read なに, not なん.
✅ 何を食べますか。（なにを）
nani o tabemasu ka
What will you eat?
❌ 今、なにじですか。
Incorrect — 時 is a counter, so 何時 is read なんじ.
✅ 今、何時ですか。（なんじ）
ima, nanji desu ka
What time is it now?
❌ なんの話？
Not a reading error, but note: 何の is read なんの (before の) — a spot learners often reverse to なにの.
✅ 何の話？（なんのはなし）
nan no hanashi?
What are you talking about?
Key Takeaways
- 何 = なん before counters, です／だ, の, and t/d/n (coronal) sounds; なに everywhere else.
- The split is phonological — なん is what なに becomes before a tongue-tip sound — so it's a rule you apply, not a list you memorize.
- Some compounds distinguish meaning by reading: 何人 = なんにん (how many) vs なにじん (what nationality); 何色 = なんしょく vs なにいろ.
- 何で = なんで for "why," but careful なにで for "by what means."
Now practice Japanese
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Japanese→Related Topics
- Question Words: An OverviewN5 — A tour of the Japanese interrogatives (疑問詞) — what, who, where, when, how, which, and why — and the crucial fact that, unlike English, they stay put in the sentence.
- Counters (助数詞): Why Japanese Counts with ClassifiersN5 — Why Japanese can't attach a bare number to a noun — every countable thing needs a counter (助数詞) chosen by its shape or category, exactly like English 'two sheets of paper' but obligatory for everything.