What it means
هیچ کدام (hich kodum) means “neither” when applied to a pair, or “none of them” when the group is larger. هیچ (hich) is a pure Persian negative particle meaning “any” in negative sentences, and کدام (kodum) means “which one.” Together they sweep every member of a set and negate them all. The direct opposite is هر کدام (har kodum, each one). A related form, هیچ یک (hich yek), is the more formal written equivalent and carries the same meaning in edited prose.
How to use it
- هیچ کدوم از اونا نیومد. (hich kodoom az unā nayumad.) “None of them came.”
- هیچ کدام از این کتابها رو نخوندم. (hich kodum az in ketābā ro nakhundam.) “I haven’t read any of these books.”
- هیچ کدوم از بچهها نمیدونستن. (hich kodoom az bachehā nemidunestan.) “None of the kids knew.”
- هیچ کدوم از این دوتا رو نمیخوام. (hich kodoom az in dotā ro nemikhām.) “I don’t want either of these two.”
Cultural note
Like most هیچ compounds, هیچ کدام requires a negative verb to form a grammatical sentence in Persian. You cannot say هیچ کدام آمد (none came with a positive verb). This double-negative structure, where both the quantifier and the verb carry negation, is standard in Persian and does not count as a logical error the way it might in formal English. In everyday speech, کدام shortens to کدوم, so هیچ کدوم is what you will hear in Tehran conversations.