ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ
kujh nahī̃
The Punjabi word for "nothing" is ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ (kujh nahī̃).
ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ is used to express the concept of not any thing.
Meaning: not any thing (pron)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ਕੁਝ (kujh), meaning 'something' or 'some' and ਨਹੀਂ (nahī̃), meaning 'not'.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can emphasize the negation by adding the particle ਵੀ (vī) between ਕੁਝ and ਨਹੀਂ, which changes the meaning from "nothing" to "nothing at all".
How do you pronounce it?
kujh nahī̃
Did you know?
- In poetic Punjabi, the concept of 'nothingness' is often linked to the spiritual idea of ego-loss, where ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ represents a state of divine surrender.
- In Punjabi culture, responding ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ when asked 'what happened' is often a social signal that the speaker is upset but not ready to talk about it.
- The phrase ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ is frequently used as a polite way to decline an offer of food or help without sounding overly abrupt.
Examples in context
- ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੋਇਆ।Nothing happened.This sentence shows the use of ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ to state that nothing happened.Tatoeba #6830454 by aboi, translation #24616 by CK
- ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲ ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ।mere kol kujh nahin hai.I have nothing.
- ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਪਤਾ।us nu kujh nahin pata.He knows nothing.
Example conversation
Kiran and Aman are talking about what is in a box.
- ਕਿਰਨ Kiranਡੱਬੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੀ ਹੈ?dabbe vich ki hai?What is in the box?
- ਅਮਨ Amanਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ।is vich kujh nahi hai.There is nothing in it.
- ਕਿਰਨ Kiranਸੱਚਮੁੱਚ ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ?sachmuch kujh nahi?Really nothing?
- ਅਮਨ Amanਹਾਂ, ਇਹ ਖਾਲੀ ਹੈ।haan, eh khaali hai.Yes, it is empty.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nothing” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
