ọ dịghị ihe
The English phrase "nothing" is translated into Igbo as ọ dịghị ihe.
ọ dịghị ihe is used as a complete sentence to state that nothing exists or nothing is present.
Meaning: not any thing (pron)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ọ (it/he/she), dịghị (is not/does not exist) and ihe (thing/something).
Which one should you use?
While ọ dịghị ihe means "there is nothing", the phrase ihe ọ bụla is used to mean "anything" or "nothing" depending on the negation in the sentence.
Did you know?
- Igbo uses a complex system of tone marks to differentiate meanings, meaning the pitch used to say ọ dịghị ihe is as important as the words themselves to avoid confusion with similar sounding phrases.
- Because ọ can mean 'he', 'she', or 'it', the phrase ọ dịghị ihe can contextually imply that 'he/she is nothing' in certain idiomatic usages.
- The word ihe is a linguistic relative to terms used in other Benue-Congo languages to describe 'matter' or 'substance'.
Example sentences for Igbo are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Ada and Ifeanyi are talking about a missing bag.
- AdaIfeanyi, gịnị dị n'ime akpa a?Ifeanyi, what is inside this bag?
- IfeanyiỌ dịghị ihe nọ n'ime ya.There is nothing in it.
- AdaEbe a nọ n'ebe a?Where is it then?
- IfeanyiAnaghị m amata.I do not know.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nothing” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
