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Is `幾` simply more literary/archaic than `何`? Can `幾` only be applied to
certain words whereas `何` is more versatile?
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2013-08-26T23:11:36.763
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2014-02-21T07:20:27.567
2013-08-27T07:37:12.107
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question
words nuances
What's the difference between 何【なん】 and 幾【いく】 when referring to amounts?
I think they have just slightly different nuances. They are very similar; but,
I think that 幾 has a more "specific" nuance (as in with relatively small
numbers), whereas 何 has a more "broad" nuance (as in "to what extent" or
"why").

For [何度](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/165880/m0u/), デジタル大辞泉 says:

> １ どれほどの回数。また、多くの回数。何回。「―やってもできない」「―でも挑戦するつもりだ」
>
> ２ はっきりしない温度・角度などをさす。「気温は―ですか」

For [幾度](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/10649/m0u/), デジタル大辞泉 says:

> １ どのくらいの回数。何度。いくたび。「―読んでもおもしろい」「―となく注意する」
>
> ２ （「いくどか」の形で）若干の回数。何回。いくたび。「―かお会いしたことがある」
>
> ３ （「いくども」の形で）度数の多いこと。たびたび。いくたび。「―も足を運んだ」

The [entry for 幾](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/50227/m0u/) says:

> １ 比較的小さな数について問う語。いくつ。「幾何(きか)」
>
> ２ 少しずつ。それとなく。「幾諫(きかん)」
>
> ３ （「機」と通用）細かいきざし。「幾微」
>
> ４ こいねがう。「庶幾」

And the [entry for 日中 of 幾](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/cj/11788/m0u/) is
interesting, too:

> 疑問の代詞で,ほぼ1桁(けた)と予想される数を尋ねる

Maybe one could think of it as "how much" (何) vs. "how many" (幾)...
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2013-08-28T17:18:37.310
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2013-08-28T17:18:37.310
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answer
As far as the meaning, there is no difference. To say otherwise would be
nitpicking.

The only (and important) difference is the way the words using 幾 and 何 as
suffixes sound in our native-speaking ears. It is the classic "softer-sounding
kun" vs. "sharper-sounding on" difference.

For instance, 幾重（いくえ） sounds much softer than 何重（なんじゅう） though these words
mean exactly the same thing --- "multiple folds" or "how many folds". One
would opt to use the former in a poem or story, but if one used it in a daily
conversation, one would look like a weirdo.

One could say 何 is more versatile because that is what we use much more often
in real life.
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answer