〜なんかない

Meaning

This pattern is used to strongly deny, refute, or negate something with emphasis. It can be formed by attaching なんか or なんて to the appropriate negative form depending on the word type (verb, i-adjective, na-adjective, or noun). The pattern adds emphasis to show that the negation is absolute or complete, often used to correct a misunderstanding or firmly deny an accusation.

Formation

Examples

1. うそをついてなんかないですよ。信じてください。
   I haven't lied to you at all. Please believe me.

2. A:ずいぶん化学の本を持っていますね。化学にとても詳しいんでしょう。B:わたしは化学に詳しくなんかありません。この本は兄のものです。
   A: You have quite a few chemistry books. You must be very knowledgeable about chemistry. B: I'm not knowledgeable about chemistry at all. These books belong to my older brother.

3. この仕事は退屈なんかじゃないよ。
   This job is not boring at all.

4. A:あのきれいな女性は、彼女なの？B:彼女なんかじゃないよ。ただの友達だよ。
   A: Is that pretty woman your girlfriend? B: She's not my girlfriend at all. She's just a friend.

Summary

• Use なんかない/なんかありません with verb te-form and i-adjective stems to strongly negate actions or states
• Use なんかじゃない/なんかじゃありません with na-adjectives and nouns for emphatic denial
• The pattern can replace なんか with なんて while maintaining the same emphatic negation meaning