Welcome to your go-to guide for mastering japanese question words, the secret sauce to chatting confidently in Tokyo. Picture this: you’re standing in Shinjuku station, neon buzzing overhead, and you need to find the JR line. With the right question word, you’ll get there in no time. In this ultimate guide, you’ll learn the key interrogatives, how to build questions, tweak your tone for politeness, and use all this in real-life scenarios from dining to emergencies.
Ready to turn “sumimasen” into full sentences? Let’s dive in.
Understand question pronouns
Japanese question pronouns replace nouns without moving their position in a sentence (Tofugu). They’re your building blocks for asking “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “which.”
Who (誰 / どなた / どいつ)
Use 誰 (dare) for casual to semi-formal “who.” In polite settings, switch to どなた (donata). Among close friends or slangy contexts, どいつ (doitsu) pops up.
- これは誰ですか (Kore wa dare desu ka)
Who is this? - あそこの方はどなたですか (Asoko no kata wa donata desu ka)
Who’s that person over there? - この人はどいつだ (Kono hito wa doitsu da)
Who’s this guy? (very casual)
What (何 / なん)
The basic “what” is 何 (nani). Before sounds in the “d” or “t” rows, it often morphs to なん (nan).
- これは何ですか (Kore wa nani desu ka)
What is this? - 今何時ですか (Ima nan-ji desu ka)
What time is it? See more japanese time expressions.
When (いつ)
いつ (itsu) covers “when” in both casual and formal chats. You won’t change its form.
- 会議はいつ始まりますか (Kaigi wa itsu hajimarimasu ka)
When does the meeting start? - 電車はいつ来ますか (Densha wa itsu kimasu ka)
When will the train arrive?
Where (どこ / どちら)
どこ (doko) is your go-to for “where.” For extra politeness or multiple options, どちら (dochira) is the safer bet.
- トイレはどこですか (Toire wa doko desu ka)
Where is the bathroom? - 受付はどちらでしょうか (Uketsuke wa dochira deshō ka)
Which direction is reception? (very polite)
Which one (どれ / どっち / どちら)
When picking from many items, use どれ (dore). For two options in casual talk, try どっち (docchi). When you want to sound polite or indirect—again, どちら (dochira).
- どれが一番安いですか (Dore ga ichiban yasui desu ka)
Which one is cheapest? - どっちが好き？ (Docchi ga suki?)
Which do you like? (casual)
Use question adverbs
Question adverbs help you dig deeper into reasons, methods, or amounts.
Why (なぜ / どうして / なんで)
- なぜ (naze) carries a formal or scholarly tone.
- どうして (dōshite) works in most social contexts.
- なんで (nande) is casual, great with friends.
Examples:
- なぜ遅刻したんですか (Naze chikoku shitan desu ka)
Why were you late? - どうしてこの店を選んだの (Dōshite kono mise o eranda no)
Why did you choose this shop? (casual)
How (どう / どうやって / どのように)
- どう (dō) is simple “how.”
- どうやって (dō yatte) asks about the method or process.
- どのように (dono yō ni) is more formal and polite.
Examples:
- これはどう使いますか (Kore wa dō tsukaimasu ka)
How do you use this? - 東京までどうやって行きますか (Tōkyō made dō yatte ikimasu ka)
How do I get to Tokyo?
How much / how many (いくら / いくつ)
- いくら (ikura) asks about price or cost.
- いくつ (ikutsu) asks for quantities of countable items.
Examples:
- このTシャツはいくらですか (Kono T-shatsu wa ikura desu ka)
How much is this T-shirt? See japanese money phrases. - おみやげはいくつ買いましたか (Omiyage wa ikutsu kaimashita ka)
How many souvenirs did you buy?
Apply question determiners
Determiners come before a noun to narrow your choice.
Which + noun (どの)
どの (dono) pairs with a noun to mean “which [noun].”
- どの電車に乗りますか (Dono densha ni norimasu ka)
Which train will you take?
What kind (どんな / どういう)
Use どんな (donna) or どういう (dō iu) to ask “what kind of.”
- どんな料理が好きですか (Donna ryōri ga suki desu ka)
What kind of food do you like? - どういう場所ですか (Dō iu basho desu ka)
What type of place is it?
How much + noun (どのくらい)
どのくらい (dono kurai) asks for an amount, time, distance, or count. Learn more in japanese particle usage.
- 新宿までどのくらいかかりますか (Shinjuku made dono kurai kakarimasu ka)
How long does it take to Shinjuku? - 部屋にどのくらい人がいますか (Heya ni dono kurai hito ga imasu ka)
How many people are in the room?
Form simple questions
Once you’ve chosen your question word, structure your sentence with these basics.
- Subject or topic, particle, question word, verb, か (ka)
- Rising intonation in casual talk
Add the particle ka
Adding か at the end turns a statement into a question in both formal and casual speech (MochiDemy).
- これは美味しいです (Kore wa oishii desu)
It’s delicious. - これは美味しいですか (Kore wa oishii desu ka)
Is it delicious?
Use rising intonation
In everyday chat, you can drop か and rely on a rising tone.
- 今何時？ (Ima nan-ji?)
What time is it? (casual)
Form negative questions
Flip the verb to its negative form, then add か.
- あなたは学生ですか (Anata wa gakusei desu ka)
Are you a student? - あなたは学生じゃないですか (Anata wa gakusei ja nai desu ka)
Aren’t you a student?
For more on sentence flow, see japanese sentence structure.
Adjust politeness levels
Tokyo’s crowds include everyone from friends to CEOs. Match your tone to your listener.
Formal vs casual pronouns
- Use どなた (donata) instead of 誰 (dare) for extra respect.
- Switch なんで (nande) to なぜ (naze) in polite contexts.
Keigo basics
Japanese business and official contexts use three polite speech types: 尊敬語 (sonkeigo), 謙譲語 (kenjōgo), 丁寧語 (teineigo). Learn more at japanese politeness levels.
Dropping ka in casual talk
With friends or family, skip か and let your tone do the work.
- 今日どこ行く？ (Kyō doko iku?)
Where are you going today? (casual)
Practice in daily life
Here are quick examples for common Tokyo situations. Swap in your question word of choice and you’re set.
Ask for directions
Sumimasen, 駅はどこですか (Eki wa doko desu ka)?
Excuse me, where is the station?
See more on how to ask directions in Japanese.
Order at restaurants
これ、何ですか (Kore, nani desu ka)?
What’s this?
More tips at japanese-restaurant-phrases-ordering.
Navigate trains
次は何駅ですか (Tsugi wa nan eki desu ka)?
What’s the next station?
Check japanese-train-announcements-translation.
Shop smarter
これはいくらですか (Kore wa ikura desu ka)?
How much is this?
Browse japanese-shopping-phrases-useful.
Handle emergencies
どうしましたか (Dō shimashita ka)?
What happened?
Find more in japanese-emergency-phrases.
Quick reference table
| English | Japanese (kanji) | Romaji | Use case | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who | 誰 | dare | Identify a person | Neutral |
| What | 何 / なん | nani / nan | Objects, events | Neutral |
| When | いつ | itsu | Time questions | Neutral |
| Where | どこ / どちら | doko / dochira | Locations | Varies |
| Which | どれ / どっち | dore / docchi | Choosing items | Casual |
| Which + noun | どの | dono | Specific noun | Neutral |
| Why | なぜ / どうして / なんで | naze / dōshite / nande | Reasons | Varies |
| How | どう / どうやって | dō / dō yatte | Methods | Varies |
| How much | いくら | ikura | Price | Neutral |
| How many | いくつ | ikutsu | Countable quantity | Neutral |
Review key takeaways
- Question pronouns (誰 what, 何 who, etc) stay in place and swap nouns easily.
- Adverbs (なぜ why, どうやって how) sharpen your queries.
- Determiners (どの which, どのくらい how much) narrow your options.
- Add か or a rising tone to finish your question.
- Match formality—switch to どなた, なぜ, or drop か based on context.
Start practicing today with a simple これ何ですか and watch your confidence soar. Tokyo’s waiting for your questions.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between nani and nan?
You use なん (nan) before “d” or “t” sounds (like なん時, nan-ji), and 何 (nani) elsewhere. Both mean “what.”
When can I drop the particle ka?
In casual chats with friends or family, skip か and rely on a rising intonation to signal a question.
How do I ask “how long” in Japanese?
Use どのくらい (dono kurai) before verbs or nouns, for example 新宿までどのくらいかかりますか.
Are question words enough to get around Tokyo?
They’ll handle most basics—directions, menus, trains. Pair them with key phrases like “sumimasen” and “arigatō” and you’re golden.
How should I adjust politeness with strangers?
Opt for formal variants like どなた (who) over 誰, use なぜ (why), and keep か at the end. Once you know someone better, you can switch to casual forms.
