Japanese Question Words
なに, だれ, どこ, いつ and the other Japanese question words, with how to use them in a sentence.
- Question marker
- か (ka)
- Word order
- Same place as the answer
- Subject question words
- Take が, not は
- Polite who
- どなた (donata)
The core question words
なに / なん (nani / nan), what: これはなんですか。(Kore wa nan desu ka.) What is this?
だれ (dare), who: あのひとはだれですか。(Ano hito wa dare desu ka.) Who is that person?
どこ (doko), where: トイレはどこですか。(Toire wa doko desu ka.) Where is the restroom?
いつ (itsu), when: たんじょうびはいつですか。(Tanjōbi wa itsu desu ka.) When is your birthday?
どれ (dore), which one (of three or more): どれがいいですか。(Dore ga ii desu ka.) Which one is good?
どの (dono), which + noun: どのバスにのりますか。(Dono basu ni norimasu ka.) Which bus do you take?
どうして (dōshite), why: どうしてにほんごをべんきょうしていますか。(Dōshite nihongo o benkyō shite imasu ka.) Why are you studying Japanese?
どう (dō), how: にほんはどうですか。(Nihon wa dō desu ka.) How do you like Japan?
いくら (ikura), how much (price): これはいくらですか。(Kore wa ikura desu ka.) How much is this?
いくつ (ikutsu), how many or how old: りんごはいくつありますか。(Ringo wa ikutsu arimasu ka.) How many apples are there?
なに or なん?
As a rule of thumb, use なん before sounds that start with d, n or t, and before counters: なんですか (nan desu ka), なんじ (nanji, what time), なんにん (nannin, how many people).
Use なに in most other places: なにをたべますか (nani o tabemasu ka), なにがすきですか (nani ga suki desu ka).
Put the question word where the answer goes
Japanese does not move question words to the front. Statement: これはペンです (kore wa pen desu). Question: これはなんですか (kore wa nan desu ka).
The answer simply replaces the question word: なん → ペン.
Particles after question words
When the question word is the subject, it takes が, not は: だれがきましたか。(Dare ga kimashita ka.) Who came?
As an object, it takes を: なにをかいましたか。(Nani o kaimashita ka.) What did you buy?
Places and times use their usual particles: どこにいきますか (doko ni ikimasu ka), where are you going? いつ usually takes no particle: いつきましたか (itsu kimashita ka), when did you come?
Polite versions
どなた (donata) is a polite だれ: あのかたはどなたですか (ano kata wa donata desu ka), who is that person?
どちら (dochira) is a polite どこ, and it also means which of two: どちらがいいですか (dochira ga ii desu ka), which of the two is better?
Related reading
- Japanese grammar overview
- Japanese sentence structure
- Japanese particles
- Wa vs ga
- Answering negative questions
- Essential Japanese phrases
Common questions
What is the difference between どうして and なぜ?+
Both mean why. どうして is common in conversation, なぜ sounds more formal or written, and なんで is casual.
Do I need a question mark?+
か already marks the question, so formal writing often ends with 。. Casual writing often uses ？, and casual speech can drop か and use rising intonation instead.
How do I say 'something' or 'nobody'?+
Add か for "some": なにか (something), だれか (someone), どこか (somewhere). Add も with a negative verb for "no": だれもいません (nobody is here), なにもたべません (I don't eat anything).
How do I ask what time it is?+
いま、なんじですか (ima, nanji desu ka). See telling time in Japanese for the answers.
