JLPT N5 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.
何 means what. It is a JLPT N5 kanji written in 7 strokes, read なに or なん. It combines 亻 (person), which carries the meaning, with 可, which is there for its sound か. It appears in 何とか (somehow / in some way / manage to) and 何々 (such and such / What?).
何 is written in 7 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.
何 breaks into 2 parts.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何とか | なんとか | somehow / in some way / manage to |
| 何々 | なになに | such and such / What? |
| 何分 | なにぶん | by all means / please |
可 tends to carry the sound か. They carry it; they do not all mean the same thing.
| Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 可 | か | can, passable |
| 何 | か | what |
| 河 | か | river |
| 苛 | か | torment, scold |
| 珂 | か | jewel |
These use 亻 or 可 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.
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