other N2 common casualpolitewritten
何らかの — some (kind of)
何らかの ・ なんらかの
Meaning
- some (kind of) ~ / some sort of ~ — asserts that an unspecified instance of the noun exists, without saying which
Key sentence
何らかの理由で電車が遅れている。
The train is delayed for some reason or other.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | 何らかの + Noun | 何らかの対策 / 何らかの影響 |
When: Formal/written; the speaker is sure *something* of that type exists but won't or can't specify it.
Examples
何らかの方法で連絡を取りたい。
I want to reach them by some means or other.
事故には何らかの原因があるはずだ。
There must be some cause behind the accident.
Notes
- Contrast the pronoun 何か 'something' (何か食べたい), which stands alone; 何らかの is an adnominal that *must* attach to a following noun (何らかの問題 'some problem') and is more formal.
- Read なんらかの (the なにかの reading is a colloquial variant). It commits to existence — 'some ~ surely exists' — without naming it, unlike a plain unmarked noun.
See 何らかの in real sentences
Jengo shows 何らかの the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.