何かが地面に落ちる音が聞こえた。

what; how many; you-know-what; that; whatsit; what's the expression; what do you call them; what?; hey!

indicates a question (sometimes rhetorical); or; whether or not; some- (e.g. something, someone); indicates doubt, uncertainty, etc.; emphatic prefix; suffix forming adjectives or adverbs; in that way

indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; still; and

ground; earth's surface

at (place, time); in; on; during; to (direction, state); toward; into; for (purpose); because of (reason); for; with; by; from; as (i.e. in the role of); per; in; for; a (e.g. "once a month"); and; in addition to; if; although

to fall down; to drop; to fall (e.g. rain); to sink (e.g. sun or moon); to fall onto (e.g. light or one's gaze); to be used in a certain place (e.g. money); to be omitted; to be missing; to decrease; to sink; to fail (e.g. exam or class); to lose (contest, election, etc.); to crash; to degenerate; to degrade; to fall behind; to become indecent (of a conversation); to be ruined; to go under; to fade; to come out (e.g. a stain); to come off (e.g. makeup); to be removed (e.g. illness, possessing spirit, name on a list); to fall (into someone's hands); to become someone's possession; to fall (into a trap); to fall (for a trick); to give in; to give up; to confess; to flee; to fall; to be defeated; to surrender; to come to (in the end); to end in; to fall (in love, asleep, etc.); to swoon (judo); to consent; to understand; to crash; to freeze; to die; to move to the depths

sound; noise; report; note; fame; Chinese-derived character reading

to be heard; to be audible; to be said to be; to be reputed