particle N5 common casualpolitewritten
誰か・どこか・誰も・どこも — someone / no one, somewhere / nowhere
誰か・どこか・誰も・どこも ・ だれかどこか
Meaning
- question word + か = 'some-' (someone, somewhere); question word + も = 'every-' (affirmative) or 'no-' (with a negative verb)
Key sentence
誰かが来た。
Someone came.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Question word + か | 誰 / どこ + か | 誰か (someone), どこか (somewhere) |
| Question word + も + negative | 誰 / どこ + も + ...ない | 誰も来ない (no one comes) |
Examples
どこかで会いましたか。
Have we met somewhere?
部屋には誰もいない。
There's no one in the room.
週末はどこも混んでいる。
Everywhere is crowded on weekends.
When you can't use it
- 誰も・どこも mean 'no one / nowhere' only with a negative verb (誰も来ない), never ×誰も来る. With an affirmative verb, どこも shifts to 'everywhere' (どこも混んでいる).
Easily confused with
See 誰か・どこか・誰も・どこも in real sentences
Jengo shows 誰か・どこか・誰も・どこも the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.