Saturday, January 20, 2018

words - What's the difference between 何【なん】 and 幾【いく】 when referring to amounts?


Is simply more literary/archaic than ? Can only be applied to certain words whereas is more versatile?



Answer




As far as the meaning, there is no difference. To say otherwise would be nitpicking.


The only (and important) difference is the way the words using 幾 and 何 as suffixes sound in our native-speaking ears. It is the classic "softer-sounding kun" vs. "sharper-sounding on" difference.


For instance, 幾重(いくえ) sounds much softer than 何重(なんじゅう) though these words mean exactly the same thing --- "multiple folds" or "how many folds". One would opt to use the former in a poem or story, but if one used it in a daily conversation, one would look like a weirdo.


One could say 何 is more versatile because that is what we use much more often in real life.


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