syntax - What does 何か食べ物 mean?

彼女は何か食べ物が欲しいです。

この犬は何か飲み物が欲しいです。

彼は何か読み物が欲しいです。

I didn't understand this structure, could you write some translations and explain me them?

Answer

何か can be used like a noun (It's a 代名詞/pronoun), meaning "something", as in:

• 何かがありそうだ。 There seems to be something.


• 新しい何かを手に入れることは古い何かを手放すことだ。Getting something new means giving up something old.

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Now regarding your examples, 何か is often used in the form of 「何か + noun を/が + verb」, meaning "[verb] some kind of [noun]", as in:

• 何か + 仕事を + ください。 -- lit. Give me some sort of job.


• 何か + 商品を + 買う -- lit. buy some kind of product


• 何か + 食べ物が + 欲しい -- lit. want some kind of food → want something to eat


• 何か + 飲み物が + 欲しい -- lit. want some kind of beverage → want something to drink

Therefore your sentences:

• 彼女は何か食べ物が欲しいです。 lit. She wants some kind of 食べ物(=food) → She wants something to eat.


• 彼は何か読み物が欲しいです。 lit. He wants some kind of 読み物(=thing to read) → He wants something to read.

_{The 何か here is adverbial, so it's not modifying the nouns 仕事(job), 商品(goods), 食べ物(food), but the verbs/adjectives 「ください」「買う」「欲しい」 here. You should say 「何かの+noun」 to literally say "some kind of [noun]", as in 「これは何かの冗談ですか？」(or 「これは冗談か何かですか？」) (Here 何か is a pronoun) to say "Is this some kind of joke?", rather than 「*これは何か冗談ですか？」}

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何か is also used in the form of 「何か + verb/adjective + もの」, meaning "something [adjective] / to [verb]", as in:

• 何か + 買う + もの -- something to buy


• 何か + 食べる + もの -- something to eat


• 何か + おいしい + もの -- something tasty


• 何か + いい + もの -- something good

So you can rephrase your example sentences this way without changing the meaning:

• 彼女は何か食べる物が欲しいです。 lit. She wants something to eat.



• この犬は何か飲む物が欲しいです。lit. This dog wants something to drink.


• 彼は何か読む物が欲しいです。lit. He wants something to read.