74378
I'm translating the following sentence, and am stumped on how to translate
何ひとつ in a negated sentence.

> 名前も、家族も、友人も……何ひとつ思い出せません。
>
> my name, my family, my friends...I cannot remember x.

I know it can mean ("(not) at all", "(not) a thing") according to this
[answer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/72921/26406), but this leaves me
with a issue of possible double negation.

Therefore, does the 何ひとつ indicate a negative, or does it indicate what is not
being negated via 何ひとつ? For example, does it function as the 'not' in "(not)
at all" or does it refer to what is not in the ()?
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2020-02-12T02:32:35.770
74377
2021-06-05T05:00:19.040
26406
question
translation negation
What is the nuanced function of 何ひとつ in a negated sentence?
This 何ひとつ is a [negative polarity
item](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/16060/5010). This means 何ひとつ is
_always_ followed by a negative expression, and 何ひとつ by itself is an
intensifier. You asked about "何ひとつ in a negative sentence", but there is no
such thing as "何ひとつ in an affirmative (non-negative) sentence"! (何ひとつ思い出せる is
simply ungrammatical.) The translation of your sentence is "I cannot remember
(even) a thing".

This `(not)` or `(ない)` enclosed in parentheses is a common way to indicate a
phrase is a negative polarity item. You seem to have seen `しか(ない)`, `まったく(ない)`
or `(not) at all` elsewhere, and this `(not)` is the same. Jisho.org also uses
this notation (for example see
[何一つ](https://jisho.org/word/%E4%BD%95%E4%B8%80%E3%81%A4) and
[夢にも](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%A4%A2%E3%81%AB%E3%82%82)).
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-12T03:55:33.577
74378
2021-06-05T05:00:19.040
2021-06-05T05:00:19.040
9831
5010
74377
answer