❓ Question Words — 疑問詞
❓ Question Words — 疑問詞
Six short conversations built entirely around asking questions — meeting someone, finding your way, shopping, and making plans. Natural, polite Japanese for everyday situations.
① Meeting Someone New — 初めまして
A:
すみません、あなたはどなたですか？
Sumimasen, anata wa donata desu ka?
Excuse me, who are you?
B:
田中です。あなたは？
Tanaka desu. Anata wa?
I'm Tanaka. And you?
A:
山田です。よろしくお願いします。
Yamada desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
I'm Yamada. Nice to meet you.
② Asking Where — どこですか
A:
すみません、駅はどこですか？
Sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka?
Excuse me, where is the station?
B:
あそこです。まっすぐ行ってください。
Asoko desu. Massugu itte kudasai.
It's over there. Please go straight.
A:
何分かかりますか？
Nanpun kakarimasu ka?
How many minutes does it take?
B:
五分ぐらいです。
Gofun gurai desu.
About five minutes.
③ Asking the Price — いくらですか
A:
これはいくらですか？
Kore wa ikura desu ka?
How much is this?
B:
千円です。
Sen'en desu.
It's 1000 yen.
A:
じゃあ、どちらがおすすめですか？
Jaa, dochira ga osusume desu ka?
Then, which one do you recommend?
B:
こちらの方が人気です。
Kochira no hou ga ninki desu.
This one is more popular.
④ Asking Age — 何歳ですか
A:
失礼ですが、何歳ですか？
Shitsurei desu ga, nansai desu ka?
Excuse me for asking, but how old are you?
B:
二十五歳です。あなたは？
Nijuugo-sai desu. Anata wa?
I'm 25. And you?
A:
私は三十歳です。
Watashi wa sanjussai desu.
I'm 30.
⑤ Asking Why — どうしてですか
A:
どうして日本語を勉強していますか？
Doushite nihongo wo benkyou shite imasu ka?
Why are you studying Japanese?
B:
アニメが好きだからです。
Anime ga suki dakara desu.
Because I like anime.
A:
いつから勉強していますか？
Itsu kara benkyou shite imasu ka?
Since when have you been studying?
B:
一年前からです。
Ichinen mae kara desu.
Since a year ago.
⑥ Making Plans — 予定について
A:
いつ会いますか？
Itsu aimasu ka?
When shall we meet?
B:
土曜日はどうですか？
Doyoubi wa dou desu ka?
How about Saturday?
A:
いいですね。誰と行きますか？
Ii desu ne. Dare to ikimasu ka?
Sounds good. Who are you going with?
B:
友達と行きます。
Tomodachi to ikimasu.
I'm going with a friend.
📖 Vocabulary — ごい
20 key question words. All kanji are shown with their romaji reading right beneath, since kanji study hasn't started yet — read the romaji line to confirm the pronunciation.
| # | Japanese | Romaji | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | だれ（誰） | dare | who | pronoun |
| 2 | どなた | donata | who (polite) | pronoun |
| 3 | なに／なん（何） | nani / nan | what | pronoun |
| 4 | どこ | doko | where | adverb |
| 5 | いつ | itsu | when | adverb |
| 6 | なぜ | naze | why (formal) | adverb |
| 7 | どうして | doushite | why (everyday) | adverb |
| 8 | どう | dou | how | adverb |
| 9 | どうやって | douyatte | how (by what method) | adverb |
| 10 | いくつ | ikutsu | how many / how old (casual) | pronoun |
| 11 | いくら | ikura | how much (price) | pronoun |
| 12 | 何歳（なんさい） | nansai | how old | phrase |
| 13 | 何分（なんぷん） | nanpun | how many minutes | phrase |
| 14 | どの | dono | which (+ noun) | adjective |
| 15 | どちら | dochira | which (of two, polite) | pronoun |
| 16 | どれ | dore | which one (of three+) | pronoun |
| 17 | 何時（なんじ） | nanji | what time | phrase |
| 18 | 誰の（だれの） | dare no | whose | phrase |
| 19 | どんな | donna | what kind of | adjective |
| 20 | どこから | doko kara | from where | phrase |
Real Japanese Tip — なに becomes なん: 何 is read nani on its own (何が好きですか？ — "What do you like?"), but it switches to nan right before "n," "d," "t" sounds and before most counters — which is exactly why 何歳 is nansai (not naniseai), 何時 is nanji, and 何分 is nanpun. There's no need to memorise a rule for this yet — just notice that あなたの誕生日は何歳ですか-style questions about a specific unit of measurement almost always use the nan reading, and it'll start to feel automatic with practice.