что́-нибудь
štó-nibudʹ
The Russian word for anything is что́-нибудь (štó-nibudʹ). If unsure, use что́-нибудь. Wiktionary also lists всё, что уго́дно (vsjo, što ugódno) and что уго́дно (što ugódno).
Meaning: any thing of any kind (pron)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| что́-нибудь | štó-nibudʹ |
| всё, что уго́дно | vsjo, što ugódno |
| что уго́дно | što ugódno |
что́-нибудь is used to refer to an unspecified thing or 'any old thing'. It is frequently used in questions to ask if something exists or is needed, such as asking 'Do you want anything?'
Which one should you use?
Use что́-нибудь when you mean 'any old thing' or 'something unspecified' where the specific identity of the object does not matter. In contrast, use что уго́дно or всё, что уго́дно to express the sense of 'anything at all' in the sense of 'whatever you want' or 'no matter what it is'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix –нибудь remains constant, but the stem что will change according to the grammatical case required by the sentence (for example, чего–нибудь or чему–нибудь).
How do you pronounce it?
štó-nibudʹ
Did you know?
- Russian distinguishes between что-нибудь for 'anything' and что-либо for 'anything'. While they both translate to 'anything', что-либо is strictly for formal writing or official documents.
- If you replace -нибудь with -то, the meaning changes from 'anything' to 'something'. This single suffix swap transforms a vague request into a reference to a specific, though unnamed, object.
- When using что́-нибудь in a negative sentence like 'I don't want anything', the word often shifts to ничего instead of keeping the suffix.
Example sentences for Russian are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “anything” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
