Breakdown of Никто не знает, какой у него рост.
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
какой
which/what kind of (m, sister forms: какая, какое)
знать
to know
у
at, by
никто
nobody
рост
height
Questions & Answers about Никто не знает, какой у него рост.
Why is there a не before знает when никто already means 'nobody'?
In Russian, double negatives are required. When you use a negative word like никто (nobody) or никогда (never), you must also make the verb negative by adding не. The sentence literally translates to 'Nobody doesn't know.'
Why do we use какой instead of что to say 'what'?
When asking for the specific value, quality, or characteristics of a noun (like a person's height, age, or color), Russian uses какой (which/what kind). You only use что when asking for a broad definition or to identify a completely unknown object, like 'What is this?' (Что это?).
Why does the sentence say у него рост instead of just его рост?
While его рост (his height) makes sense, у него рост is the much more natural and common way to phrase it in Russian. It uses the familiar у + Genitive structure (literally 'what height is at him') to describe physical attributes a person has.
Is него in the Genitive case here?
Yes! The preposition у always requires the Genitive case, turning он (he) into него. Even though your current lesson focuses on using the Genitive case to compare things, this is a great reminder that its most everyday job is showing possession or attributes after у.
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