Japanese question words

From UniLang Wiki

To make a question out of a sentence giving a statement you can use the particle ã?‹ (ka).

Please note that in plain spoken Japanese the ã?‹ [ka] (question) particle is dropped and a question is formed by raising intonation at the end of the sentence.

simple question
車��. [kuruma desu] It is a car.
車���. [kuruma desu ka] Is it a car.

But to actually ask for something specific you use the Japanese equivalents of the "what", "when", "who", "why", ...

The most common of these words is 何 (nan/nani), meaning what, that may be combined with the type of thing you are asking for.

何 [nan/nani] what

• 何をã?—ã?¦ã?„ã?¾ã?™ã?‹. [nani o shiteimasu ka] What are you doing?

何人 [nannin] how many people

• 何人家æ—?ã?§ã?™ã?‹. [nannin kazoku desu ka] How many people belong to this family / How big is the family

何番 [nanban] which number
何時 [nanji] what time
何� [nansai] hhow old

ã?„ã?¤ [itsu] when

• ã?„ã?¤æ˜¼ã?”飯を食ã?¹ã?¾ã?™ã?‹. [Itsu hirugohan o tabemasu ka] When do you eat lunch?
• ã?„ã?¤å‡ºã?‹ã?‘ã?¾ã?™ã?‹. [Itsu dekakemasuka.] When are you going out

ã?„ã??ら [ikura] how much

• ã?“ã?®æ–°è?žã?¯ã?„ã??らã?§ã?™ã?‹. [Kono shinbun wa ikura desu ka] How much is this newspaper? (How much does it cost?)
  

ã?©ã?“ [doko] where

• æ–°ã?—ã?„車ã?¯ã?©ã?“ã?§ã?™ã?‹. [atarashii kuruma wa doko desu ka] Where is the new car?
  

��ら [dochira] where (more polite)

• ã?©ã?¡ã‚‰ã?«ã?Šä½?ã?¾ã?„ã?§ã?™ã?‹. [dochira ni osumai desu ka?] Where do you live?
  

ã?©ã?® [dono] which (of several)

• ã?©ã?®ã‚¯ãƒ«ãƒžã‚’è²·ã?„ã?¾ã?™ã?‹. [dono hon wo kai masu ka] Which car do you buy?
  
• ã?©ã?®å·žã?«ä½?ã‚“ã?§ã?„ã?¾ã?™ã?‹. [dono shuu ni sunde imasu ka?] Which state do you live in?
  

ã?©ã‚“ã?ª [donna] what kind of

• ã?©ã‚“ã?ªéŸ³æ¥½ã?Œå¥½ã??ã?§ã?™ã?‹. [donna ongaku ga suki desu ka] What kind of music do you like?
  
• ã?©ã‚“ã?ªç?€ç‰©ã?Œã?™ã??ã?§ã?™ã?‹. [donna kimono ga suki desu ka] What kind of kimono do you like?
  

ã?©ã?† [dou] how

• 天気ã?¯ã?©ã?†ã?§ã?™ã?‹. [Tenki wa dou desu ka] How is the weather
  

��� [ikaga] how (polite) '

• 紅茶ã?¯ã?„ã?‹ã?Œã?§ã?™ã?‹. [koucha wa ikaga desu ka] How about a tea?
  
• ã?”æ©Ÿå«Œã?„ã?‹ã?Œã?§ã?™ã?‹ï¼Ÿ [gokigen ikaga desuka] How are you?
  

�� [naze] and ���� [doushite] both mean why
�� [naze] why, for which reason
���� [doushite] why
�ん� [nande] why (colloquial, more common in kansai area)

• ã?©ã?†ã?—ã?¦æ—¥æœ¬ã?¸è¡Œã??ã?Ÿã?„ã?§ã?™ã?‹. [Doushite nihon e ikitai desu ka.] Why do you want to go to Japan?
  

��や�� [douyatte] How, By what means

• ã?©ã?†ã‚„ã?£ã?¦å­¦æ ¡ã?«è¡Œã??ã?¾ã?™ã?‹. [douyatte gakkou ni ikimasu ka] How do you get to school?
  

>> Languages >> Japanese >> Japanese vocabulary