Understanding question words is one of the most important steps in building real communication skills in Japanese. In this article, we introduce the core Japanese question words. These words allow you to ask for basic information, keep conversations going, and respond naturally in everyday situations.
What, Who, Where
| Question Word | Meaning |
| 何 (なに/なん) | what |
| だれ | who |
| どこ | where |
何 (なに, なん) - What
Both なに and なん mean “what”and the kanji 何 can be read as either なに or なん depending on the situation.
- なに is more common before particles
- なん is used before です or counters
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なに
何
をの
飲
みますか。
What will you have to drink?
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なに
何
がほ
欲
しいですか。
What do you want?
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おなまえ
名前
はなん
何
ですか。
useful
What's your name?
(click the icon for English translation)
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あれはなん
何
ですか。
What is that?
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なんにん
何人
ですか。
How many people?
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だれ - Who
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あのひと
人
はだれですか。
Who is that person?
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だれがき
来
ますか。
Who is coming?
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どこ - Where
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〇〇はどこですか。
Where is 〇〇?
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えき
駅
はどこですか。
Where is the railroad station?
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どこにい
行
きますか。
Where are you going?
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Timing and reason - When, Why
| Question Word | Meaning |
| いつ | when |
| どうして | why (daily speech) |
| なぜ | why (more formal) |
| なんで | why (very casual and common) |
いつ - When
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いつい
行
きますか。
When will you go?
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たんじょうび
誕生日
はいつですか。
When is your birthday?
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どうして, なぜ, なんで - Why
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どうしてそと
外
でまっていますか。
Why are you waiting outside?
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なぜきのう
昨日
やす
休
みましたか。
Why were you absent yesterday?
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なんでき
聞
くの？
Why do you ask?
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Which - three words meaning 'which' and when to use them
In Japanese, there are three common ways to say “which”: どちら, どれ and どの. While they all relate to choosing, they are used in different situations. Understanding these differences will help you ask questions more naturally and accurately.
| Question Word | Meaning |
| どちら | which (two options) |
| どれ | which (three or more options) |
| どの | which (used before a noun) |
どちら - Which (between two options)
When どちら means 'which', it is always used to refer to two items or options.
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このほん
本
とあのほん
本
、どちらがす
好
きですか。
Which do you like, this book or that book?
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The question will be about two items or options even when they are not specified.
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どちらをた
食
べますか。
Which will you eat?
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In casual speech どちら, it is often shortened to どっち.
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うみ
海
とやま
山
と、どっちがす
好
き？
Which do you like better, the sea or the mountains?
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どれ - Which (three or more options)
どれ is used to ask about three or more items or options.
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どれをか
買
いますか。
Which one will you buy?
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にほん
日本
でいちばんなが
長
いかわ
川
はどれですか。
Which river is the longest in Japan?
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どの - Which (used before a noun)
どの is used before a noun, so it must always be followed by something (e.g. a person, place, or thing). It cannot be used on its own.
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どのスポーツがいちばん
一番
す
好
きですか。
What sport do you like best?
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どのケーキにしますか。
Which cake are you getting?
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How
“How” can have different meanings depending on the context. In Japanese, there are several ways to express it, but in the early stages of learning, どう and どうやって are the most useful. Both are common in everyday conversation and worth learning early.
| Question Word | Meaning |
| どう | how (is/was something) |
| どうやって | how (by what means) |
どう - How (asking how something is or was)
どう is used to ask about condition, state, or opinion. It is often used with です to ask how something is.
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どうですか。
How is it?
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にほん
日本
はどうでしたか。
How was Japan?
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Depending on the context どう can also be used to ask 'how is something going' or 'how did something go'.
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スピーチはどうでしたか。
How did your speech go?
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どうやって - How (asking 'how to do' something)
どうやって, is used when asking about the method or way of doing something, or 'by what means' a person traveled, an item is transported, etc.
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これをどうやってつかいますか。
How do you use this?
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きのうどうやってかえりましたか。
How did you get home yesterday?
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なに
何
で is another common way to ask how someone travels somewhere.
Take care not to confuse
なに
何
で, with
なん
何
で. While the kanji for both is identical,
なに
何
で is to ask by what means someone travels.
なん
何
で is a casual word for 'why'.
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なに
何
でかえ
帰
る？
How are you getting home?
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Numbers, quantity and time
| Question Word | Meaning |
| いくつ | how many |
| いくら | how much |
| 何歳 (なんさい) | how old |
| 何時 (なんじ) | what time |
いくつ - How many
In Japanese, there are many specific "counters" used for different types of objects, which means there are various ways to ask "how many." However, いくつ is a useful general-purpose word to learn first when you need to ask for a quantity of items.
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りんごはいくつありますか。
How many apples are there?
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クラスにがくせい
学生
がなんにん
何人
いますか。
How many students are in the class?
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ケーキをいくつか
買
いましたか。
How many cakes did you buy?
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いくら - How much
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いくらですか。
useful
How much is it?
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これはいくらですか。
useful
How much is this?
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バスりょうきん
料金
はいくらですか。
How much is the bus fare?
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なんさい
何歳
ですか。
How old are you?
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あなたのおとう
父
さんはなんさい
何歳
ですか。
How old is your father?
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To ask somebody's age politely use the expression おいくつですか. This is often used when speaking respectfully to or about adults, customers, or people you do not know well.
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あなたのおとう
父
さんはおいくつですか。
How old is your father?
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「いま
今
なんじ
何時
ですか」「じゅう
１０
じ
時
です」
"What time is it now?" "It's ten o'clock."
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なんじ
何時
にいえ
家
をで
出
ますか。
What time do you leave the house?
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なんじ
何時
におきましたか。
What time did you get up?
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