modality N1 uncommon casualwritten
〜でも何でもない — not ~ in the least
〜でも何でもない ・ でもなんでもない
Meaning
- not ~ at all / not anything of the sort — emphatically denies that a label or quality applies
Key sentence
あんなものは芸術でも何でもない。
That's not art in the slightest.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun or na-adjective stem | N／な-adj語幹 + でも何でもない |
When: Dismissive; flatly rejects a characterization as undeserved.
Examples
彼は友達でも何でもない。ただの知り合いだ。
He's not a friend or anything — just an acquaintance.
簡単でも何でもない、とても難しい問題だ。
It's not easy in the least — it's a very hard problem.
Easily confused with
全然〜ない 全然〜ない is a plain 'not at all'. でも何でもない emphatically rejects a specific label — 'it's not X, not anything of the sort'. わけではない わけではない softly denies a conclusion. でも何でもない flatly and emphatically denies that the label applies at all. まったく〜ない まったく〜ない intensifies any negative. でも何でもない specifically denies that a noun or quality applies to something.
See 〜でも何でもない in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜でも何でもない 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.