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The [Tofugu article](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-particle-kana/)
says that when used with a noun, かな follows the noun without any additional
particles, e.g.:

それは人間かな

However, they later give an example where なの is inserted in between a noun and
かな:

アメリカは本当に自由の国なのかな

Why is なの used in one example but not in the other?

(Tofugu puts the second example under the "な adjective" section; but I guess
it's a typo, as かな follows the noun 国, not the な adjective 自由.)
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2023-01-28T10:15:32.853
98340
2023-01-28T12:42:19.210
10268
question
grammar
When is なの needed between a noun and かな?
As you've already guessed, the explanation for the example is wrong, as 国 is
not a な adjective. It is still a valid sentence, the なの is the same as the
last の in "これは、会社の建物だったのかな。" which was briefly explained on the Tofugo
article. It means sth like "The thing is" or "is it?" and thus goes well with
かな. Also the second sentence puts more emphasis on whether it is really the
case (that america is a free country), which is expressed through なの. You
could translate the sentences as: I wonder if that's a human. I wonder if it
is really the case that america is a free country. なの would be "the case".
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2023-01-28T12:42:19.210
98342
2023-01-28T12:42:19.210
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98340
answer