What in Japanese: Question Words for What, Where, When, Who, How and Why

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Sooner or later, you’ll want to ask a question in Japanese. Knowing how to ask “what” in Japanese, as in “What’s this?”, is a lifesaver when you first start learning the language.

Questions also help you develop meaningful conversations. If you can ask about the other person, you have a much better chance of getting to know them.

I’m going to cover the basic Japanese words for who, what, when, where, why and how, with examples of how to use them in everyday sentences. I’ll also share some useful Japanese question phrases.

Let’s build your conversation skills with this list of Japanese question words.

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Asking a Question in Japanese

First, let’s look at how to form a question in Japanese.

“Question” in Japanese is 質問 (shitsumon). You can say 質問があります (shitsumon ga arimasu), which means “I have a question.” To ask “May I ask a question?” politely, say 質問してもいいですか？ (Shitsumon shite mo ii desu ka?).

There are a few ways to express “to ask”. You can use 質問する (shitsumon suru), 尋ねる (tazuneru) or 聞く (kiku), but they are not interchangeable in every situation.

質問する means “to ask a question”. 尋ねる and 聞く can both mean “to ask” or “to inquire”; the natural choice depends on what you are asking and the situation.

One common polite pattern adds the particle か to the end of a sentence. Casual questions can also rely on intonation or endings such as の.

勉強していますか。
Benkyou shite imasu ka
“Are you studying?”

A quick note about punctuation: Japanese can end a written question with either 。 or ？. The particle か already marks many polite questions, while casual questions may rely on intonation. Choose the punctuation that suits the context and use it consistently.

You’ll often see ？ in casual writing, especially when the wording or rising intonation would mark the question in speech.

The particle used with a question word depends on the sentence. For a basic location question, mark the topic with は: (noun or noun phrase) + は + どこ + ですか.

For example, スマホはどこですか。(Sumaho wa doko desu ka) means “Where is my smartphone?” The pattern is sumaho (noun) + wa (topic particle) + doko (question word) + desu ka.

Japanese Question Words: The Basics

Here are some of the most common Japanese question words. They are worth memorising so you can ask how to say something, where an object is or when to meet someone.

What in Japanese: 何

“What” in Japanese is 何. It is read as nan or nani, depending on the word or form that follows it. Here are two examples:

お名前は何ですか。
Onamae wa nan desu ka.
“What’s your name?”

何？聞こえなかった。
Nani? Kikoenakatta.
“What? I didn’t hear you.” (casual and quite direct)

You can also combine 何 with particles in useful expressions. 何か (nanika) means “something”, while 何も (nanimo) commonly means “nothing” with a negative predicate. 何でも (nandemo) can mean “anything”.

Who in Japanese: 誰

To ask “who”, use the question word 誰 (dare). On its own, 誰？ means “Who?” Context might make it mean “Who are you?”, but it is informal and can sound abrupt.

Here are some ways to use it:

誰ですか。
Dare desu ka
“Who is it?”

誰と話していたの？
Dare to hanashite ita no?
“Who were you talking to?”

Like 何, you can also combine 誰 with the particles も, でも, and か to make new words:

• 誰も (daremo) – “everybody”, or “nobody” with a negative predicate
• 誰でも (daredemo) – “anybody”; depending on context, “whoever”
• 誰か (dareka) – “somebody”

Why in Japanese: どうして

There are three common ways to ask “why” in Japanese. The best choice depends on the register and context.

どうして (doushite) is a common, broadly neutral way to ask “why”.

なぜ (naze) also means “why” and is more common in formal or written contexts.

なんで (nande) is casual and is common between friends and family.

Here are examples with each one:
どうしてそんなに眠いんですか。
Doushite sonna ni nemui n desu ka
“Why are you so sleepy?”

なんでそんなに可愛いの？
Nande sonna ni kawaii no?
“Why is it so cute?”

なぜですか。
Naze desu ka
“Why is that?” (formal or polite)

You will also meet these expressions containing どうして. Learn each one as a complete expression, because the added particle changes the meaning:

• どうしても (doushitemo) – “No matter what”
• どうしてか (doushiteka) – “For some reason”
• どうしてかな (doushite kana) – “I wonder why”

When in Japanese: いつ

いつ (itsu) is “when” in Japanese. When you attach the particle も, it becomes いつも (itsumo), meaning “always.”

You can also use いつでも (itsudemo) for “anytime” and いつか (itsuka) for “sometime” or “someday.”

誕生日はいつですか。
Tanjoubi wa itsu desu ka
“When is your birthday?”

Where in Japanese: どこ

Need directions? Lost something and wondering where it went? Use どこ (doko) to ask “where” in Japanese.

Here are three useful combinations:

• どこも (dokomo) – “everywhere”, or “nowhere” with a negative predicate
• どこでも (dokodemo) – “anywhere”; depending on context, “wherever”
• どこか (dokoka) – “somewhere”

駅はどこですか。
Eki wa doko desu ka
“Where is the train station?”

How in Japanese: どう

どう (dou) is “how” in Japanese.

Some expressions containing どう have meanings you need to learn as a whole. For example, どうか (douka) often appears in requests or hopes, どうでも (doudemo) can mean “it doesn’t matter”, and どうも (doumo) can be a casual “thanks”. These are not mechanical variations of “how”.

どうすればよいですか。
Dou sureba yoi desu ka
“What should I do?”

Which in Japanese: どちら, どれ and どの

Use どちら (dochira) as a polite “which of two?”; it can also be a polite way to ask “where?” Use どれ (dore) for “which one?” among three or more choices, and put どの (dono) before a noun to say “which [noun]”.

And with the particles:

• どちらも (dochiramo) – “both”
• どちらでも (dochirademo) – “either”
• どちらか (dochiraka) – “either one” or “one of the two”

お茶とコーヒー、どちらを選びますか。
Ocha to koohii, dochira wo erabimasu ka
“Which will you choose, tea or coffee?”

These combinations are useful vocabulary, but their meanings depend on the question word and the rest of the sentence. Learn them as expressions: 何か means “something”, 誰か means “someone” and どこか means “somewhere”. With a negative predicate, 何も, 誰も and どこも commonly mean “nothing”, “nobody” and “nowhere”.

Japanese Question Words in Common Questions

Now let’s put those words into some common questions.

“What is this?” In Japanese

これは何ですか (kore wa nan desu ka) is one of the most useful phrases you can learn. Use it to ask what something near you is.

Similarly, それは何ですか (sore wa nan desu ka) asks “What’s that?” The difference is that これ refers to “this” near the speaker, while それ refers to “that” near the listener or something already mentioned.

This phrase is also useful:
これは日本語で何と言いますか。
Kore wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka
“How do you say this in Japanese?”

__ は日本語で何と言いますか。
__ wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka.
“How do you say __ in Japanese?”

“How much?” in Japanese

To ask the price of something, you can use いくら (ikura) for “how much?” For “how many” you use いくつ (ikutsu).

これはいくらですか。
Kore wa ikura desu ka
“How much is this?”

いくつ必要ですか。
Ikutsu hitsuyou desu ka
“How many do you need?”

“Where are you?” in Japanese

Looking for someone in a crowd? Call them on their スマホ (sumaho, “smartphone”) and ask どこにいますか (doko ni imasu ka). It means “Where are you?”

You could also ask questions like:

• どこに住んでいますか (doko ni sunde imasu ka) – “Where do you live?”
• どこで働いていますか (doko de hataraite imasu ka) – “Where do you work?”
• トイレはどこですか (toire wa doko desu ka) – “Where is the bathroom?”

“Where are you from?” in Japanese

ご出身はどちらですか (go-shusshin wa dochira desu ka) is a polite way to ask “Where are you from?” or “Where is your hometown?” As with any question about someone’s background, use it when the context makes it appropriate.

Here are a few other questions you can use when appropriate. Age and occupation can feel personal, so take your cue from the conversation:

• 趣味は何ですか (Shumi wa nan desu ka) – “What are your hobbies?”
• 何歳ですか (Nansai desu ka) – “How old are you?”
• 仕事は何ですか (Shigoto wa nan desu ka) – “What is your job?”

“How are you?” In Japanese

お元気ですか (o-genki desu ka) literally asks whether someone is well. It is polite and more natural after some time apart than as an automatic English-style greeting. Another polite expression is いかがですか (ikaga desu ka), which asks “How is it?” when the topic is clear. For example, プロジェクトはいかがですか asks “How is the project?”

You can ask “How was your day” with the phrase 今日はどうでしたか (kyou wa dou deshita ka).

After time apart, you may also hear the past form お元気でしたか (o-genki deshita ka), which asks whether the person had been well during that period.

“Are you…” in Japanese

A basic pattern for asking a polite question with a noun or adjective is [noun/adjective] ですか ([noun/adjective] desu ka). For example:

• 日本人ですか (Nihonjin desu ka) – “Are you Japanese?”
• 大丈夫ですか (Daijoubu desu ka) – “Are you okay?”
• 作家ですか (Sakka desu ka) – “Are you a writer?”

This pattern works with nouns and adjectives. Verbs form polite questions with their own polite form plus か.

Ask All the Questions in Japanese!

Now you have a practical set of Japanese question words and patterns. Try them with a Japanese language-exchange partner, and pay attention to the answers you get.

Next, learn some core Japanese words and essential Japanese phrases you can use in your next conversation.