Japanese Question Words

You have learned how to say “I eat sushi” or “She goes to Tokyo.” But what happens the moment you want to ask a question? Questions are where real conversation starts — and if you cannot form them naturally, every interaction hits a wall fast.

The good news: Japanese question words are refreshingly logical. Unlike English, you do not flip the word order around. You drop a question word into the sentence at the right slot, add か (ka) at the end, and you are done. Once you know the words and the one simple rule, you can ask almost anything.

This guide covers every major question word in Japanese — what it means, how to say it, which particles go with it, and how to build natural sentences with it from day one.

At a Glance: All Japanese Question Words

Here is a quick-reference table of every question word covered in this article. Bookmark it — you will come back to it often.

Question Word	Reading	Meaning	JLPT
何	なに / なん	What	N5
誰	だれ	Who	N5
どなた	どなた	Who (polite)	N4
どこ	どこ	where	N5
いつ	いつ	When	N5
なぜ	なぜ	Why (formal)	N4
どうして	どうして	Why (neutral)	N5
なんで	なんで	Why (casual)	N5
どう	どう	How (general)	N5
どのように	どのように	How (specific manner)	N4
どれ	どれ	Which one (3+ items)	N5
どの	どの	Which (before a noun)	N5
どんな	どんな	What kind of	N5
いくら	いくら	How much (price)	N5
いくつ	いくつ	How many / How old	N5
何人	なんにん	How many people	N5
何時	なんじ	What time	N5

Word Order: Why Japanese Questions Are Easier Than English Ones

In English, forming a question usually means reshuffling the sentence. “She eats sushi” becomes “What does she eat?” — the subject and verb swap places, and a helper verb appears. It is a lot of moving parts.

Japanese does not work that way. Japanese follows Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) order, and that order stays exactly the same whether you are making a statement or asking a question. The only things that change are:

• The question word slots in where the unknown piece of information would be.
• The sentence ends with the particle か (ka), which marks the sentence as a question.

That is all. Compare the two languages side by side:

English	Japanese	Literal slot-by-slot
She eats sushi.	彼女（かのじょ）はすしを食（た）べます。	[She] [sushi] [eats].
What does she eat?	彼女は何を食べますか。	[She] [what] [eats]?
Who eats sushi?	誰がすしを食べますか。	[Who] [sushi] [eats]?

Notice that the verb stays at the end in every version. The question word simply replaces the unknown noun or adverb — no inversion, no auxiliary verb. Once this clicks, forming questions in Japanese feels almost mechanical in the best possible way.

The か rule in casual speech: In informal conversation, Japanese speakers often drop か and raise their intonation instead, just as English speakers do. 「これ、何？」(Kore, nani?) = “What’s this?” — completely natural among friends. For polite or exam contexts, always keep か.

何（なに / なん）— What

何（なに / なん）is the most versatile question word in Japanese. It covers everything English “what” covers, but there is one thing English learners often miss: the pronunciation changes depending on what comes after it.

なに vs なん — When to Use Which

Use なに when…	Use なん when…
It stands alone or before を / が / は / も	It comes before だ、で、の、or a counter
何を食べますか — What do you eat?	何ですか — What is it?
何が好きですか — What do you like?	何でできていますか — What is it made of?
何もない — There is nothing	何語 (なんご) — What language?

A practical rule: use なん before だ、で、の, and any counter (何時、何枚、何人, etc.). Use なに everywhere else. When in doubt, lean on なん before anything counter-like and なに before the main particles を、が、は、も.

何 with Counters

One powerful use of 何 is as the “how many?” prefix in front of counters. Japanese uses counters — special suffix words — to count different categories of things. When you do not know the number and want to ask, put 何 in front of the counter:

Expression	Reading	Meaning
何時	なんじ	What time?
何分	なんぷん	How many minutes?
何日	なんにち	What day of the month? / How many days?
何人	なんにん	How many people?
何枚	なんまい	How many flat things (tickets, sheets)?
何本	なんぼん	How many long/cylindrical things (bottles, pens)?
何冊	なんさつ	How many books?
何語	なんご	What language?

Example sentences:

• 今、何時ですか。(Ima, nanji desu ka.) — What time is it now?
• チケットは何枚いりますか。(Chiketto wa nanmai irimasu ka.) — How many tickets do you need?
• 何語を話しますか。(Nango o hanashimasu ka.) — What language(s) do you speak?

誰（だれ）— Who

誰（だれ）asks about a person. Its polite equivalent is どなた (donata), which you should use when speaking to customers, superiors, or in formal situations. Using だれ in a business call instead of どなた can come across as blunt.

Level	Word	Context
Casual	だれ	Friends, family, classmates
Polite / Formal	どなた	Customers, seniors, formal settings

Example sentences:

• あの人は誰ですか。(Ano hito wa dare desu ka.) — Who is that person?
• 誰がこのケーキを作りましたか。(Dare ga kono keeki o tsukurimashita ka.) — Who made this cake?
• どなたをお呼びしましょうか。(Donata o oyobi shimashou ka.) — Who shall I call for you? (formal)
• このプレゼントは誰にあげますか。(Kono purezento wa dare ni agemasu ka.) — Who will you give this present to?

Pay attention to the particle after 誰: が marks the subject (who does something), に marks the recipient (to whom), and の marks possession (whose).

• これは誰のかばんですか。(Kore wa dare no kaban desu ka.) — Whose bag is this?

どこ — where

どこ (doko) asks about location. What makes どこ especially useful is how it combines with different particles to create very precise directional or locational questions. Mastering these combinations gives you a whole toolkit in one word.

Form	Particle role	Meaning	Example
どこ + で	Location of action	where (activity happens)	どこで食べますか — where will you eat?
どこ + に	Destination / Existence	where (going to / located)	どこにいますか — where are you?
どこ + へ	Direction of movement	where (heading toward)	どこへ行きますか — where are you going?
どこ + から	Origin / Starting point	from where	どこから来ましたか — where are you from?
どこ + まで	End point	How far / Up to where	どこまで行きますか — How far are you going?

Eight natural example sentences:

• どこで日本語を勉強しましたか。(Doko de nihongo o benkyou shimashita ka.) — where did you study Japanese?
• スーパーはどこにありますか。(Suupaa wa doko ni arimasu ka.) — where is the supermarket?
• 今日はどこへ行きましたか。(Kyou wa doko e ikimashita ka.) — where did you go today?
• どこから来ましたか。(Doko kara kimashita ka.) — where are you from?
• この電車はどこまで行きますか。(Kono densha wa doko made ikimasu ka.) — How far does this train go?
• トイレはどこですか。(Toire wa doko desu ka.) — where is the restroom?
• 財布をどこに置きましたか。(Saifu o doko ni okimashita ka.) — where did you put your wallet?
• 会議室はどこにありますか。(Kaigishitsu wa doko ni arimasu ka.) — where is the meeting room?

いつ — When

いつ (itsu) asks about time. Unlike どこ, いつ does not need a particle after it most of the time — it simply sits in the sentence where a time expression would normally go.

• いつ日本に来ましたか。(Itsu nihon ni kimashita ka.) — When did you come to Japan?
• パーティーはいつですか。(Paatii wa itsu desu ka.) — When is the party?
• いつから日本語を勉強していますか。(Itsu kara nihongo o benkyou shite imasu ka.) — Since when have you been studying Japanese?
• この店はいつまで開いていますか。(Kono mise wa itsu made aite imasu ka.) — Until when is this shop open?

The いつから / いつまで pair is especially useful:

Expression	Meaning	Example
いつから	from when / Since when	いつから働いていますか — Since when have you been working?
いつまで	Until when / How long	いつまで日本にいますか — How long will you be in Japan?
いつでも	Anytime / Whenever	いつでも来てください — Please come anytime.

Why in Japanese: なぜ、どうして、なんで

Japanese has three common ways to ask “why” — and choosing the wrong one in the wrong setting is one of the most common beginner mistakes. Here is how they differ:

Word	Register	Feel	Best Used
なぜ (naze)	Formal / Written	Serious, analytical, neutral in tone	Essays, news, formal speech, JLPT reading passages
どうして (doushite)	Neutral / Everyday	Curious, conversational, slightly softer	Daily conversation, polite questions, asking a friend
なんで (nande)	Casual / Colloquial	Direct, can sound impatient or surprised	Close friends, informal settings — never in business

Example sentences using all three:

• なぜ日本語を学ぶのですか。(Naze nihongo o manabu no desu ka.) — Why do you study Japanese? (formal)
• どうして日本語が好きなんですか。(Doushite nihongo ga suki nan desu ka.) — Why do you like Japanese? (conversational)
• なんで遅刻したの？ (Nande chikoku shita no?) — Why were you late? (casual, slightly irritated)

Register tip: If you are in a job interview, at a business meeting, or writing a formal email, use なぜ or どうして. Never use なんで in those contexts — it sounds too informal and could be perceived as rude.

どう and どのように — How

どう (dou) is a flexible word that asks about manner, state, or opinion. どのように (dono you ni) is more specific — it asks for an explanation of the method or process.

Core どう Patterns

Pattern	Reading	Meaning	Example
どうですか	どうですか	How is it? / What do you think?	日本はどうですか — How is Japan (for you)?
どうやって	どうやって	How do you do it? (method)	どうやって行きますか — How do you get there?
どうしたら	どうしたら	What should I do? / How should I handle this?	どうしたらいいですか — What should I do?
どうぞ	どうぞ	Please / Go ahead (not a question, but from どう)	どうぞ — Please, go ahead.

Example sentences:

• 日本の食べ物はどうですか。(Nihon no tabemono wa dou desu ka.) — How is Japanese food?
• 駅までどうやって行きますか。(Eki made dou yatte ikimasu ka.) — How do you get to the station?
• この漢字はどのように読みますか。(Kono kanji wa dono you ni yomimasu ka.) — How is this kanji read?
• この書類はどのように書けばいいですか。(Kono shorui wa dono you ni kakeba ii desu ka.) — How should I fill out this form?

どれ、どの、どんな — Which and What Kind

These three words all ask about selection or description, but they work differently. This is a common confusion point for beginners.

Word	Function	Comes before a noun?	Example
どれ	Which one (of three or more things)	No — stands alone	どれが好きですか — Which one do you like?
どの	Which (specific, before a noun)	Yes — always before a noun	どの本が好きですか — Which book do you like?
どんな	What kind of / What type of	Yes — always before a noun	どんな音楽が好きですか — What kind of music do you like?

The key rule: どれ stands alone (no noun follows it). どの and どんな always precede a noun.

• この中でどれが一番おいしいですか。(Kono naka de dore ga ichiban oishii desu ka.) — Among these, which one is the most delicious?
• どの電車に乗ればいいですか。(Dono densha ni noreba ii desu ka.) — Which train should I take?
• どんな映画が好きですか。(Donna eiga ga suki desu ka.) — What kind of movies do you like?
• どんな人が理想のパートナーですか。(Donna hito ga risou no paatonaa desu ka.) — What kind of person is your ideal partner?

Quantity and Price: いくら、いくつ、何人

These question words are essential for shopping, travel, and everyday logistics.

いくら — How Much (Price)

いくら (ikura) is used exclusively for prices and money. It does not need a counter because Japanese treats price amounts as continuous quantities.

• これはいくらですか。(Kore wa ikura desu ka.) — How much is this?
• 全部でいくらになりますか。(Zenbu de ikura ni narimasu ka.) — How much will it be in total?
• 送料はいくらですか。(Sooryou wa ikura desu ka.) — How much is the shipping fee?

いくつ — How Many / How Old

いくつ (ikutsu) asks about an unspecified quantity using the native Japanese counting system (ひとつ、ふたつ…). Importantly, it also doubles as “how old” when asking someone’s age in casual speech.

• リンゴはいくつありますか。(Ringo wa ikutsu arimasu ka.) — How many apples are there?
• お子さんはいくつですか。(Okosan wa ikutsu desu ka.) — How old is your child?

Age note: For adults, use 何歳（なんさい）instead of いくつ — asking an adult いくつですか can feel slightly childish in some contexts, though it is not rude. The formal alternative is おいくつですか。

何人（なんにん）— How Many People

• 何人で来ますか。(Nan-nin de kimasu ka.) — How many people are coming?
• ご家族は何人ですか。(Gokazoku wa nan-nin desu ka.) — How many people are in your family?

Question Words in Indirect Questions

So far all the examples have been direct questions. But in Japanese — just as in English — you often need to embed a question inside another sentence. This is called an indirect question.

In English: “I know where he lives.” — the embedded question “where he lives” loses its question mark and word order stays normal.

In Japanese, the structure is similar. The embedded question keeps its question word, but adds か and connects to the outer sentence with a verb like 知っている (shitte iru — to know), 分かる (wakaru — to understand), or 教える (oshieru — to tell).

The pattern is: [embedded question + か] + [outer verb]

Indirect question	Reading	English
何を食べるか知っていますか。	なにをたべるかしっていますか	Do you know what she will eat?
どこに住んでいるか分かりません。	どこにすんでいるかわかりません	I don’t know where he lives.
いつ来るか教えてください。	いつくるかおしえてください	Please tell me when you will come.
なぜ遅れたか説明してください。	なぜおくれたかせつめいしてください	Please explain why you were late.
どのように読むか分かりますか。	どのようによむかわかりますか	Do you know how to read this?

Important: In indirect questions, the embedded clause does NOT end with ですか or ますか. Use the plain/dictionary form of the verb before か. So 何を食べますか (direct) becomes 何を食べるか (embedded).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Forgetting か at the End

Wrong	Correct
❌ 何を食べる。(sounds like a statement)	✅ 何を食べますか。/ 何を食べる？ (casual)
❌ どこに行く。(sounds like a statement)	✅ どこに行きますか。/ どこに行くの？ (casual)
❌ いつ来る。(ambiguous)	✅ いつ来ますか。

Without か, the sentence can read as a statement or demand rather than a question, especially in writing.

Mistake 2: Using the Wrong Particle After a Question Word

Question words take the same particles as regular nouns. This is good news — it is consistent. But beginners sometimes drop the particle entirely.

Wrong	Correct	Why
❌ どこ行きますか	✅ どこへ行きますか / どこに行きますか	Direction/destination needs へ or に
❌ 誰あげますか	✅ 誰にあげますか	Recipient takes に
❌ どこ来ましたか	✅ どこから来ましたか	Origin takes から

Mistake 3: Using なんで in Formal Speech

As mentioned in the “why” section: なんで is casual and can sound brusque or impatient. In any professional or polite context, use なぜ or どうして.

Situation	Avoid	Use instead
Job interview	❌ なんで日本語を学んでいますか	✅ なぜ / どうして日本語を学んでいますか
Business email	❌ なんでこうなりましたか	✅ なぜこのようになりましたか
With friends	✅ なんで？ — Totally fine

Mistake 4: Confusing どれ and どの

Wrong	Correct
❌ どの が好きですか。(どの cannot stand alone)	✅ どれが好きですか。
❌ どれ本が好きですか。(どれ cannot precede a noun)	✅ どの本が好きですか。

Decision Flowchart: Which Question Word Do I Use?

Use this flowchart when you are not sure which question word to reach for:

Are you asking about...

├─ A THING / OBJECT?
│   └─ What is it?                 →  何（なに / なん）
│   └─ Which specific one (+ noun)? →  どの + noun
│   └─ Which one (standalone)?     →  どれ
│   └─ What kind of thing?         →  どんな + noun
│
├─ A PERSON?
│   └─ Casual context              →  誰（だれ）
│   └─ Formal / polite context     →  どなた
│
├─ A PLACE?                        →  どこ (+ particle: で / に / へ / から / まで)
│
├─ A TIME?                         →  いつ (+ から / まで for duration)
│
├─ A REASON?
│   └─ Formal writing / speech     →  なぜ
│   └─ Everyday conversation       →  どうして
│   └─ Casual / among close friends →  なんで
│
├─ A METHOD / MANNER?
│   └─ General impression or state  →  どう
│   └─ Specific process or method   →  どのように
│
└─ A QUANTITY?
    └─ Price / cost                 →  いくら
    └─ Countable things (native)    →  いくつ
    └─ Number of people             →  何人（なんにん）
    └─ Age                          →  何歳（なんさい）/ おいくつ
    └─ Time (o'clock)               →  何時（なんじ）

Quick Quiz: Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct question word. Answers are below.

1. 「_____ がこの荷物を届けましたか。」(Who delivered this package?)
2. 「駅まで _____ 行けばいいですか。」(How should I go to the station?)
3. 「この映画のチケットは _____ ですか。」(How much is the ticket for this movie?)
4. 「_____ から日本語を勉強していますか。」(Since when have you been studying Japanese?)
5. 「_____ 電車に乗ればいいですか。」(Which train should I take?)
6. 「会議が _____ か、教えてもらえますか。」(Could you tell me when the meeting is?)

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Answers:

1. 誰（だれ）— who; subject, so use が after it.
2. どうやって— how (method of getting somewhere).
3. いくら— how much (price).
4. いつ— when/since when (combined with から).
5. どの— which (precedes the noun 電車).
6. いつ— indirect question: 会議がいつか教えてもらえますか (plain form + か).

Which question word do you find trickiest to use? Is it keeping track of どれ vs どの, or remembering when to say なに vs なん? Share your questions or your own example sentences in the comments below — we would love to hear how your Japanese practice is going!

Keep Learning

Now that you can ask questions naturally, explore these related articles to build on what you have learned:

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About the Author

Daisuke is the creator of JP YoKoSo — a Japanese learning site for English speakers. Every article is written to explain Japanese clearly, with real examples, grammar notes, and practical tips for learners at every level.

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