Widespread Japanese Query Phrases and How To Use Them in Dialog

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Asking questions in Japanese means familiarizing your self with query phrases like “who” and “what.” In spite of everything, you’ll wish to know methods to ask urgent questions like, “The place is the restroom?” and “How a lot does this ticket price?” no matter how lengthy you intend to be in Japan. Even when your curiosity solely extends to asking another person what their title is, Japanese query phrases are important information in your path to study methods to converse Japanese.

How one can ask a query in Japanese

Asking a query in Japanese is straightforward, and basically simply requires the addition of one of many Japanese particles on the finish of the sentence: ka (か). In any other case, the essential phrase order stays the identical. In actual fact, shitsumon (質問, the Japanese phrase for “query”) may be so much like their associated solutions that the one distinction between them is that the query contains particle ka.

• Ninjin o tabemashita ka.（にんじんを食べましたか。）= Did you eat your carrots?
  
  • Hai. Ninjin o tabemashita.（はい。にんじんを食べました。）= Sure, I ate my carrots.
    

When utilizing query phrases, Japanese phrase order remains to be the identical for questions as it’s for statements, however you’ll be swapping the query phrase in the place the reply would usually match within the sentence. If the query phrase replaces the topic or matter of the sentence, you’ll use particle ga (が) as an alternative of wa (は). That is most related for the phrases “who” and “which.”

• Dare ga kaite imasu ka.（誰が書いていますか。）= Who is writing?
  
  • Onna no ko ga kaite imasu.（女の子が書いています。）= The woman is writing.
    

What’s the query mark in Japanese?

If a query ends in particle ka, that features as a query mark. Even when the tip of a sentence is marked with a Japanese interval (。), it’s a query if the sentence ends in ka.

Nevertheless, Japanese punctuation nonetheless contains Western-style query marks (？)! That is particularly helpful in informal speech, the place particle ka is often changed by a rising intonation.

• Dare ga kaiteiru?（だれが書いている？）= Who’s writing?

In any other case, intervals are usually favored over query marks in formal writing.

Checklist of widespread Japanese query phrases

As Japanese has a number of ranges of ritual, many query phrases in English have multiple Japanese equal. Navigating the distinction between formal vs. casual speech in Japanese can exhibit your fluency and manners by solely altering a couple of phrases.

Nevertheless, the phrases on this chart are essentially the most important translations for seven widespread query phrases so as to add to your vocabulary. For extra particulars, learn concerning the particular person query phrases under!

How one can say ‘who’ in Japanese

You’ve got three major methods to ask “who” in Japanese: dare (誰) for almost all of circumstances and dochira (どちら) or donata (どなた) for formal conditions.

Dare is simple to make use of. Simply put it in the identical a part of the sentence the place the particular person’s id will likely be within the reply.

• Dare ga tabete imasu ka.（誰が食べていますか。）= Who is consuming?
  
  • Keisatsukan ga tabete imasu.（警察官が食べています。）= The police officer is consuming.
    

The distinction between dochira and donata is slight. In actual fact, each may be written with the identical kanji regardless of their differing pronunciations: 何方. Usually, you need to use dochira to ask “which particular person” (in the identical means you’d ask “which one” for an object) and preserve a impartial, well mannered tone. Donata is usually reserved for exceptionally formal conditions once you would use Japanese honorific speech (or keigo), which additionally comes with a extra elevated verb.

• Dochira ga tabete imasu ka.（どちらが食べていますか。）= Who is consuming? (Actually: Which particular person is consuming?) (well mannered)
• Donata ga meshi agarimasu ka.（どなたが召し上がりますか。）= Who is consuming? (formal)

To show “who” into the possessive “whose” in Japanese, use the possessive particle no after the phrase for “who” and proceed the sentence usually.

• Dare no gakki desu ka.（誰の楽器ですか。）= Whose devices are these?
  
  • Doramu wa watashi no desu.（ドラムは私のです。）= The drums are mine.
    

How one can say ‘what’ in Japanese

The phrase for “what” is both nan or nani (each written with the character 何), relying on its place in a sentence and/or different phrases that is likely to be connected to it.

Usually, “what” is nan when instantly previous the “to be” verb, desu (です).

• Kore wa nan desu ka.（これは何ですか。）= What is that this?
  
  • Kore wa ringo desu.（これはりんごです。）= That is an apple.
    

In the meantime, nani is extra widespread if it’s adopted by a particle. In lots of circumstances, this would be the particle o (を).

• Onna no hito wa nani o shite imasu ka.（女の人は何をしていますか。）= What is the lady doing?
  
  • Onna no hito wa yonde imasu.（女の人は読んでいます。）= The girl is studying.
    

Nevertheless, if you wish to say “what sort of,” you’ll want a very totally different phrase: donna (どんな). That is a part of the ko-so-a-do collection of demonstrative pronouns in Japanese.

• Donna ongaku ga suki desu ka.（どんな音楽が好きですか。）= What sort of music do you want?

How one can say ‘the place’ in Japanese

“The place” is doko (どこ) in Japanese, and its utilization and phrase place is similar to “what.”

• Otōsan wa doko desu ka.（お父さんはどこですか。）= The place is Dad?
  
  • Daidokoro ni imasu.（台所にいます。）= He’s within the kitchen.
    

If you wish to be extra formal, you may substitute doko with dochira (sure, the identical phrase that can be utilized for “who!”).

• Otōsan wa dochira desu ka.（お父さんはどちらですか。）= The place is Dad? (formal)

Do not forget that, as a result of the query phrase will likely be answered with a location or a vacation spot, the particle that follows it must mirror that position if the accompanying verb requires it. For doko, that may often be de (for location) or ni (vacation spot).

• Doko ni ikimasu ka.（どこに行きますか。）= The place are you going?
  
  • Watashi wa kusuriya ni ikimasu.（私は薬屋に行きます。）= I’m going to the pharmacy.
    
• Doko de renshū shimasu ka.（どこで練習しますか。）= The place do you observe?
  
  • Tokidoki koko de renshū shimasu. Mata, tokidoki gakkō de renshū shimasu.（時々ここで練習します。また、時々学校で練習します。）= Typically we observe right here. Typically we observe on the college.
    

How one can say ‘when’ in Japanese

The query phrase for “when” in Japanese is itsu (いつ), and it’s straightforward to make use of since you don’t want to connect a particle in any respect! As a substitute, insert itsu into the sentence wherever it might make sense to incorporate the time (often, the start of the sentence is most secure).

• Itsu hataraite imasu ka.（いつ働いていますか。）= When do you’re employed?
  
  • Watashi wa asa hataraite imasu.（私は朝働いています。）= I work within the morning.
    

In English translations, you’ll usually see “when” used to reference a cut-off date. Nevertheless, this utilization doesn’t contain a query phrase in Japanese. As a substitute, the phrase toki (時, time) is used to point when one thing particular occurred.

• Watashitachi ga kaigan ni ita toki ni wa, kumori deshita.（私たちが海岸にいた時には、曇りでした。）= When we have been on the seaside, it was cloudy. (Actually: On the time we have been on the seaside, it was cloudy.)
  

How one can say ‘why’ in Japanese

Like “when,” you don’t want so as to add a particle after the Japanese phrase for “why,” which is both dōshite (どうして), naze (なぜ), or nande (なんで).

Dōshite is essentially the most impartial of the three, and it may be utilized in each well mannered and informal conditions.

• Dōshite te o aratte imasu ka.（どうして手を洗っていますか。）= Why are you washing your arms?
  
  • Yogorete imasu kara aratte imasu.（汚れていますから洗っています。）= I’m washing my arms as a result of they’re soiled.
    

The only technique to describe naze is that it’s a barely extra formal model of “why,” nevertheless it’s additionally barely much less emotional. When utilizing it, there’s an implication that you simply’re curious concerning the reasoning behind no matter you’re questioning, no matter your private emotions about it.

• Naze te o aratte imasu ka.（なぜ手を洗っていますか。）= Why are you washing your arms? (formal/well mannered)

Nande is decidedly informal, and the remainder of the sentence also needs to be in informal kind to mirror the change. You possibly can additionally translate it as “how come.”

• Nande te o aratte iru no?（なんで手を洗っているの？）= Why are you washing your arms? (Alternatively: How come you’re washing your arms?) (informal)

How one can say ‘which’ in Japanese

To say “which” in Japanese, you’ve two foremost choices: dore (どれ) and dono (どの). Dore is the less complicated of the 2, becoming right into a sentence while not having a particle.

• Sara san no kōto wa dore desu ka.（サラさんのコートはどれですか。）= Which is your coat?
  
  • Akai kōto desu. Yonbanme desu.（赤いコートです。四番目です。）= My coat is crimson. It’s the fourth coat on the precise.
    

The formal model of dore is dochira (that brings your complete variety of dochira makes use of as much as three!), and it really works precisely the identical. Docchi is the informal model, and the tone and phrase alternative in the remainder of the sentence ought to match it.

• Sara san no kōto wa dochira desu ka.（サラさんのコートはどちらですか。）= Which is your coat? (formal/well mannered)
• Sara no kōto wa docchi?（サラさんのコートはどっち？）= Which is your coat? (informal)

Nevertheless, there’s yet another distinction between dono and dochira. Whereas dochira can be utilized as a extra formal variation, it’s additionally often reserved for deciding between two choices (e.g., proper or left), whereas dore is for any variety of choices.

Dono is the possessive model of “which.” Consider it like a contraction of dore no (“which” plus the possessive particle no). In contrast to dore, you’ll must observe up dono with applicable Japanese nouns instantly.

• Dono kudamono ga midori desu ka.（どの果物が緑ですか。）= Which fruit is inexperienced?
  
  • Kono kudamono ga midori desu.（この果物が緑です。）= This fruit is inexperienced.
    

The formal variant doesn’t have a conveniently mixed time period, so that you’ll want to make use of dochira and particle no to attain the identical impact.

• Dochira no dōbutsu ga ōkii desu ka.（どちらの動物が大きいですか。）= Which animal is massive?
  
  • Kochira no dōbutsu ga ōkii desu.（こちらの動物が大きいです。）= This animal is massive.
    

How one can say ‘how’ in Japanese

“How” is without doubt one of the extra sophisticated query phrases in Japanese language assets, however dō (どう) is the usual definition. Should you wished to easily ask how one thing is, you may simply say:

• Ondo wa dō desu ka.（温度はどうですか。）= How is the temperature?

Equally, you may swap dō for ikaga (いかが) in formal or well mannered conditions (which can include a extra well mannered verb).

• Ondo wa ikaga deshō ka.（温度はいかがでしょうか。）= How is the temperature? (formal)

In any other case, phrases that equate to “how” in English differ in Japanese relying on scenario and utilization to the purpose the place you wouldn’t essentially know all of them use the identical phrase in English. For instance, asking for the price of one thing makes use of ikura (幾ら, how a lot):

• Ninjin wa ikura desu ka.（にんじんはいくらですか。）= How a lot do the carrots price?
  
  • Ninjin wa san doru desu.（にんじんは三ドルです。）= The carrots price three {dollars}.
    

Listed here are a handful of different methods you may use “how” in English that use distinctive Japanese phrases.

Utilizing ‘nan’ to say ‘what number of’ in Japanese

When counting something in Japanese, you’ll want so as to add a kind of suffix often called Japanese counters to the tip of the quantity or amount. Nevertheless, to ask “what number of” of one thing there’s, you gained’t use any of the Japanese phrases for “how.” Somewhat, you’ll mix the phrase nan (“what”) with the suitable counter for the scenario within the majority of circumstances.

• Okyakusan ga nannin imasu ka.（お客さんが何人いますか。）= What number of company are there?
  
  • Sanjū nin imasu.（三十人います。）= There are thirty.
    

Japanese has actually a whole lot of counters, though you’ll usually solely use a couple of dozen. Listed here are among the most typical counters that use nan to ask “what number of.”

Telling time in Japanese with the counter ~ji (時) is one translation exception. Whereas it nonetheless makes use of nan, it interprets to what time as an alternative of what number of hours (which might be a barely totally different time period: nanjikan, 何時間).

• Ima nanji desu ka.（今何時ですか。）= What time is it?
  
  • Gogo niji yonjūnifun desu.（午後二時四十二分です。）= It’s two forty-two p.m.
    

You don’t should ask ‘how’ or ‘why’ with Rosetta Stone

Despite the fact that you’ve a greater variety of choices to pick out from, Japanese query phrases provide a excessive diploma of specificity by having so many nuanced decisions. When doubtful, you’ll be capable of follow the seven widespread query phrases for almost all of circumstances. Once you’re able to step as much as the problem, strive getting inventive with the entire different decisions accessible to you.

One of the best ways to observe asking questions is to, properly, ask questions! With Rosetta Stone Tutoring, you may work with a language skilled to get a extra in-depth take a look at one in every of Rosetta Stone’s core classes. You probably have questions, strive asking in Japanese!