کچھ نہیں
kuch nahī̃/kʊt͡ʃʰ nə.ɦĩː/word by word
The Urdu phrase for "nothing" is کچھ نہیں (kuch nahī̃).
Meaning: not any thing (pron)
Which one should you use?
You can intensify the phrase to mean "nothing at all" by adding bhi between the two words to form کچھ بھی نہیں.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding bhi (which means also or even) between kuch and nahī̃ creates the emphatic form کچھ بھی نہیں to mean "nothing at all".
How do you pronounce it?
kuch nahī̃ is pronounced /kʊtʃʰ nə.ɦĩː/.
Did you know?
- In Urdu poetry, the concept of 'nothingness' is often expressed through the word صفر (sifr), which is the source of the English word 'cipher' and the mathematical concept of 'zero'.
- The word نہیں (nahī̃) is a linguistic relative of the English word 'nay' through a very long journey from Proto-Indo-European roots.
- The word کچھ (kuch) actually has its roots in a Sanskrit word meaning 'someone' or 'anyone', rather than 'something'.
Examples in context
- وہاں کچھ نہیں ہے۔vahan kuch nahi hai.There is nothing there.
- کچھ نہیں، بس ایسے ہی۔kuch nahi, bas aise hi.Nothing, just because.
Example conversation
Omar and Sarah are talking in the living room.
- عمر Omarسارہ، کیا آپ کو کچھ چاہیے؟Sarah, kya aap ko kuch chahiye?Sarah, do you want anything?
- سارہ Saraنہیں، مجھے کچھ نہیں چاہیے۔nahi, mujhe kuch nahi chahiye.No, I want nothing.
- عمر Omarکیا آپ پریشان ہیں؟kya aap pareshan hain?Are you worried?
- سارہ Saraنہیں، کچھ نہیں ہے۔nahi, kuch nahi hai.No, it's nothing.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nothing” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (کچھ, نہیں) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries نہیں, کچھ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
