{"id":3076,"date":"2018-11-08T15:43:03","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T15:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/?p=3076"},"modified":"2019-09-06T15:00:07","modified_gmt":"2019-09-06T15:00:07","slug":"japanese-question-words-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/japanese-question-words-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Lesson 19. The Complete Guide of Question Words in Japanese"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What is that?<\/p>\n

Where is the toilet?<\/p>\n

How much is this?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Have you ever wondered how to ask questions in Japanese? Well, if you are. You are reading the right post.<\/p>\n

\"Everywhere,<\/a>
Question Words in Japanese. Click to enlarge and download the image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just like Chinese<\/a>, we do not have to change the word order for both question and answer. The answer is located at the same place as the question words. Let\u2019s see the examples of how to use these vocabulary in the sentence!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

QUESTION WORD<\/strong><\/h2>\n

WHAT<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What in Japanese (\u4f55) has two readings: nani <\/em>and nan. Nan<\/em> is always used before \u3067\u3059 (desu), \u3067\u3082 (demo), \u3067 (de), and \u306e (no), while nani<\/em> is for all other cases.<\/p>\n

\u4f55<\/u> (nan)<\/strong><\/u><\/h4>\n

\u305d\u308c\u306f\u4f55\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Sore wa nan desu ka?<\/p>\n

What is that?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To answer the question in full sentence, you have to switch kore and sore<\/a> \u2013 this and that in Japanese.<\/p>\n

\u3053\u308c\u306f\u5199\u771f\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

Kore wa shashin desu.<\/p>\n

This is a photo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However, in conversation, we should always answer shortly.<\/p>\n

\u5199\u771f\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

Shashin desu.<\/p>\n

(It is) a photo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u4f55<\/u> (nani)<\/strong><\/u><\/h4>\n

\u4f55\u304c\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Nani ga suki desu ka?<\/p>\n

What do you like?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u30b3\u30fc\u30d2\u30fc\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

K\u014dh\u012b desu.<\/p>\n

(I like) coffee.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHO<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u3042\u306e\u4eba\u306f\u8ab0\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Ano hito wa dare desu ka?<\/p>\n

Who is that person?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u6728\u6751\u3055\u3093\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

Kimura-san desu.<\/p>\n

(He is) Mr. Kimura.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHERE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u30c8\u30a4\u30ec\u306f\u3069\u3053\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Toire wa dokodesu ka?<\/p>\n

Where is the toilet?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u3042\u305d\u3053\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

Asoko desu.<\/p>\n

It is over there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHEN<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u3044\u3064\u6765\u307e\u3057\u305f\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Itsu kimashita ka?<\/p>\n

When did you come?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u6628\u65e5\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

Kin\u014d desu.<\/p>\n

Yesterday.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHY<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are a few ways to express \u2018why\u2019 in Japanese.<\/p>\n

\u306a\u305c<\/u><\/strong> (naze)<\/u><\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is the polite and formal version of why. You can use \u306a\u305c (naze) in formal writing and speech but not in the daily conversation.<\/p>\n

\u306a\u305c\u9045\u523b\u3057\u305f\u306e\u3067\u3059\u304b?<\/p>\n

Naze chikoku shitanodesuka?<\/p>\n

Why were you late?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u3069\u3046\u3057\u3066<\/u><\/strong> (d<\/u><\/strong>\u014dshite<\/u><\/strong>)<\/u><\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u3069\u3046\u3057\u3066 (d\u014dshite) can be used in everyday conversation with anyone.<\/p>\n

\u3069\u3046\u3057\u3066\u305d\u3093\u306a\u306b\u6025\u3050\u306e\uff1f<\/p>\n

D\u014dshite son nani isogu no?<\/p>\n

Why are you in such a hurry?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u4f55\u3067<\/u><\/strong> (nande)<\/u><\/strong><\/h4>\n

A casual way to express why. You can use \u4f55\u3067 (nande) with your family and close friends.<\/p>\n

\u4f55\u3067\u6012\u3063\u3066\u308b\u306e?<\/p>\n

Nande okotteru no?<\/p>\n

Why are you angry?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In fact, \u4f55\u3067 is ambiguous because it means \u2018why\u2019(= by what kind of reason) and \u2018how\u2019(= by what kind of way).\u00a0You can differentiate them by the context and intonation, but when it’s pronounced\u00a0as \u2018nani de<\/em>\u2019, it\u00a0means only \u2018how\u2019,\u00a0while\u00a0\u2018nan de<\/em>\u2019 mean both\u00a0\u2018why\u2019 and \u2018how\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u306a\u306b\u3067\u5927\u962a\u306b\u6765\u307e\u3057\u305f\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Nanide \u014csaka ni kimashita ka?<\/p>\n

How did you come to Osaka?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HOW<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u7d50\u679c\u306f\u3069\u3046\u3067\u3057\u305f\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Kekka wa d\u014d desitaka?<\/p>\n

How was the result?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HOW MANY<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Just like English \u2018how many\u2019, \u3044\u304f\u3064 (ikutsu) is a question word for asking the number of countable things.<\/p>\n

\u3044\u304f\u3064\u3042\u308a\u307e\u3059\u304b?<\/p>\n

Ikutsu arimasu ka?<\/p>\n

How many are there?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u3044\u304f\u3064 (ikutsu) can be used to ask the age of people as well.<\/p>\n

\u5f7c\u306f\u3044\u304f\u3064\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Kare wa ikutsu desu ka?<\/p>\n

How old is he?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HOW MUCH<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On the other hand, \u3044\u304f\u3089 (ikura) is used for uncountable things. It is commonly used to ask the price of something.<\/p>\n

\u3053\u308c\u306f\u3044\u304f\u3089\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Kore wa ikura desu ka?<\/p>\n

How much is this?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHICH (OUT OF TWO OPTIONS)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If there are two options available, you can use \u3069\u3061\u3089 (dochira) or \u3069\u3063\u3061 (docchi) to say \u2018which one\u2019. Both of them are the same, \u3069\u3061\u3089 (dochira) is formal while \u3069\u3063\u3061 (docchi) is an informal version.<\/p>\n

\u30ea\u30f3\u30b4\u304b\u30d0\u30ca\u30ca\u3001\u3069\u3061\u3089\u304c\u3044\u3044\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Ringo ka banana, dochira ga \u012b desu ka?<\/p>\n

Which one is better? Apple or banana?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHICH (OUT OF THREE OR MORE OPTIONS)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If the options are three or more, use \u3069\u308c (dore) instead.<\/p>\n

\u3053\u306e\u4e2d\u3067\u3069\u308c\u304c\u4e00\u756a\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<\/p>\n

Kono naka de dore ga ichiban suki desu ka?<\/p>\n

Which do you like the best among these?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

QUESTION WORD COMPOUNDS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

QUESTION WORDS + <\/strong>\u3082<\/strong> = EVERY- OR NO-<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Nothing,
Every- in Japanese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u4f55\u3082\u77e5\u308a\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3002<\/p>\n

Nani mo shirimasen.<\/p>\n

(I) know nothing [I do not know anything].<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u8ab0\u3082\u3044\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3002<\/p>\n

Dare mo imasen.<\/p>\n

No one is here.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u3069\u3053\u306b\u3082\u884c\u304d\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3067\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

Dokoni mo ikimasendeshita.<\/p>\n

(I) went nowhere [(I) did not go anywhere].<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u3044\u3064\u3082\u591c10\u6642\u306b\u5bdd\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

Itsumo yoru 10-ji ni nemasu.<\/p>\n

(I) always go to bed at 10 o’clock.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

QUESTION WORDS + <\/strong>\u3067\u3082<\/strong> = ANY-<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Anything,
Any- in Japanese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u4f55\u3067\u3082\u98df\u3079\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

Nan demo tabemasu.<\/p>\n

I can eat anything.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u3044\u3064\u3067\u3082\u4f7f\u3063\u3066\u4e0b\u3055\u3044\u3002<\/p>\n

Itsu demo tsukatte kudasai.<\/p>\n

Please use it anytime.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u3069\u3046\u3057\u3066\u3082\u305d\u308c\u304c\u6b32\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

D\u014dshitemo sore ga hosh\u012b desu.<\/p>\n

I want that no matter what.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u3069\u3061\u3089\u3067\u3082\u826f\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

Dochira demo \u012b desu.<\/p>\n

Either is fine.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

QUESTION WORDS + <\/strong>\u304b<\/strong> = SOME-<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Something,
Some- in Japanese\u00a0<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u8ab0\u304b\u304a\u63a2\u3057\u3067\u3059\u304b?<\/p>\n

Dareka osagashi desu ka?<\/p>\n

(Are you) looking for someone?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u4ed5\u4e8b\u306f\u3069\u3046\u306b\u304b\u3053\u3046\u306b\u304b\u4ed5\u4e0a\u304c\u3063\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

Shigoto wa d\u014dnika k\u014d ni ka shiagatta.<\/p>\n

I managed to finish my work somehow.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u3044\u304f\u3064\u304b\u554f\u984c\u304c\u3042\u308a\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n

Ikutsuka mondai ga arimasu.<\/p>\n

There are some problems.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u3069\u308c\u304b\u9078\u3093\u3067\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044\u3002<\/p>\n

Dore ka erande kudasai.<\/p>\n

Please choose one (out of three or more things).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let’s learn Japanese today! Join us at LingoCards<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is that? Where is the toilet? How much is this? Have you ever wondered how to ask questions in Japanese? Well, if you are.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[118],"class_list":["post-3076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese","tag-question-words","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3076"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3927,"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3076\/revisions\/3927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lingo-apps.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}