誰か / どこか / 誰も / どこも【だれか / どこか / だれも / どこも】

This grammar point covers how Japanese uses question words combined with か or も to create indefinite pronouns like "someone" and "somewhere," or negative expressions like "no one" and "nowhere."

誰か (someone) and どこか (somewhere)

Adding か to the question words だれ誰 (who) and どこ (where) creates indefinite meanings – someone and somewhere. These are used in affirmative sentences or questions.

The particles が and を are often dropped after 誰か and どこか in casual speech, while other particles like に, と, and へ are typically kept.

誰も (no one) and どこも (nowhere)

Adding も to だれ誰 and どこ and pairing them with a negative verb creates the meaning "no one" and "nowhere / not anywhere."

With どこも, the particle に often appears before も, forming どこにも, especially with verbs of existence or movement.

With positive verbs, どこも can mean everywhere:

The broader pattern

This pattern extends to other question words as well. While not all are covered here, knowing the pattern helps:

• なんか何か (something) / なん何も
  • negative (nothing)
• いつか (sometime) / いつも (always – note: positive meaning!)

Common mistake

A frequent error is using 誰も or どこも with a positive verb while intending a negative meaning. Remember: 誰も and どこも require a negative verb to mean "no one" or "nowhere."