質問があります。 Shitsumon ga arimasu. I have a question. Questions in Japanese

In this post we’ll look at how to ask questions in Japanese. First we’ll look at some general vocabulary that you can use when you want to ask a question. Then we’ll move on to question words in Japanese. We’ll cover all of the important question words in Japanese for what, who, where, when, how, how much/many, and why. Along the way we’ll point out any important grammar that you need to know when you ask questions in Japanese.

General Vocabulary for Questions

Let’s start with some general vocabulary and expressions related to questions: 質問 shitsumon a question; はいhai yes; いいえ iie no; 多分 tabun maybe.

• 質問があります。
  Shitsumon ga arimasu.
  I have a question.
• 質問をしてもいいですか。
  Shitsumon o shitemo ī desu ka.
  Can I ask you a question?
• 分かりません。
  Wakarimasen.
  I don’t know.

• よく分かりません。
  Yoku wakarimasen.
  I’m not sure.
• 間違いないです。
  Machigai nai desu.
  I am sure.
• これはお茶ですか。それともコーヒーですか。
  Kore wa ocha desu ka. Soretomo kōhī desu ka.
  Is this tea or coffee?
• お水とジュースとどちらがいいですか。
  Omizu to jūsu to dochira ga ī desu ka.
  Do you want water or juice?
• これがホテルですか。
  Kore ga hoteru desu ka.
  Is this your hotel?
• はい、これが私のホテルです。
  Hai, kore ga watashi no hoteru desu.
  Yes, it’s my hotel.
• いいえ、これは私のホテルじゃありません。
  Iie, kore wa watashi no hoteru ja arimasen.
  No, it’s not my hotel.

GRAMMAR NOTE

Notice that you add the Japanese question particle か ka at the end of statements to turn them into questions. There is no change in word order (he is > is he?) or helping verb (she speaks > does she speak?)

• ここは良いレストランです。
  Koko wa yoi resutorandesu.
  This is a good restaurant here.
• ここは良いレストランですか？
  Koko wa yoi resutorandesu ka?
  Is this a good restaurant here?

Japanese Question Words

Now let’s move on to questions with question words. We’ll cover all of the most important Japanese question words in this section.

何ですか。 Nan desu ka. What?

To ask what, use 何 nan(i).

• これは何ですか。
  Kore wa nan desu ka.
  What is this?
• 何をしていますか。
  Nani o shite imasu ka.
  What are you doing?

誰ですか。 Dare desu ka. Who?

To ask who, use 誰 dare.

• あれは誰ですか。
  Are wa dare desu ka.
  Who is that?
• 誰と旅をしていますか。
  Dare to tabi o shite imasu ka.
  Who are you traveling with?

どこですか。 Doko desu ka. Where?

To ask where, use どこ doko. Notice that you often use a particle, for example に ni (at, to) or から kara (from) along with どこ doko.

• お手洗いはどこですか。
  Otearai wa doko desu ka.
  Where is the bathroom?
• どこに住んでいますか。
  Doko ni sunde imasu ka.
  Where do you live?
• どこに行きますか。
  Doko ni ikimasu ka.
  Where are you going?
• どこから来ましたか。
  Doko kara kimashita ka.
  Where are you from?

いつですか。 Itsu desu ka. When?

To ask when, use いつ itsu. A related question is: 何時ですか。 Nanji desu ka. At what time?

• いつ{着きます・出発します}か。
  Itsu {tsukimasu/shuppatsu shimasu} ka.
  When do you arrive/leave?
• 電車はいつ｛出発・到着｝しますか。
  Densha wa itsu {shuppatsu/tōchaku} shimasu ka.
  When does the train leave/arrive?
• 店はいつ｛開きます・閉まります｝か。
  Mise wa itsu {akimasu/shimarimasu} ka.
  When does the store open/close?
• 何時に映画が始まりますか。
  Nanji ni eiga ga hajimarimasu ka.
  At what time does the film start?

どうやってですか。 Dō yatte desu ka. How?

To ask how, use どう dō.

• 気分はどうですか。
  Kibun wa dou desu ka.
  How do you feel?
• ビーチへはどうやって行けばいいですか。
  Bīchi e wa dō yatte ikeba īdesu ka.
  How do I get to the beach?
• 勉強はどうですか。
  Benkyō wa dō desu ka.
  How’s the studying going?

いくらですか。 Ikura desu ka. How much?

To ask how much, use いくら ikura. To ask how many, use 何 nan with the appropriate counter, for example 人 nin for people or 時 ji for hours.

• これはいくらですか。
  Kore wa ikura desu ka.
  How much does this cost?
• 何人ですか。
  Nan’nin desu ka.
  How many people?
• 今何時ですか。
  Ima nanji desu ka.
  What time is it? (How many hours…)
• 車は何台ありますか？
  Kuruma wa nandai arimasu ka?
  How many cars are there?

どうしてですか。 Doushite desu ka. Why?

To ask why, use どうして doushite.

• どうしてここに来たんですか。
  Doushite koko ni kitan desu ka.
  Why are you here?
• どうして泣いているんですか。
  Doushite naite irundesu ka.
  Why are you crying?
• どうして笑っているんですか。
  Doushite waratte irundesu ka.
  Why are you laughing?

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how to ask questions in Japanese and how to use Japanese question words. If you’d like to learn more, check out our other posts on Japanese language, culture, and more. And if you’re looking for convenient and affordable live Japanese lessons with a real teacher, check out the Language Garage. Our lessons are given online in a virtual classroom, so it doesn’t matter where you live or work – we can come to you. And we have flexible options, with a free trial so that you can decide if there’s a fit. Check us out!

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