Expressing Who, What, When, Where, Why and How in Japanese!

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How to Ask Fundamental Questions in Japanese: Who, What, Where, and More? More commonly known as the 5W’s and 1 H, these are more or less the essentials to almost every language when it comes to asking questions. In this blog, we’ll cover how to express who, what, when, where, why, and how in Japanese!

Who

First, let’s look at how to express “Who” in Japanese! The word 誰 (だれ, Dare) can more commonly be used in the Japanese language to express “Who”. Below is a sample sentence in how 誰 (だれ) can be commonly used!

誰が好き？

Romaji: Dare ga suki?

English: Who do you like?

What

Next, let’s examine how to express “What” in Japanese. The word 何 (なに/なん, Nani/Nan) is commonly used to express “What” in Japanese and can be used in a variety of situations. From anime and television dramas to popular culture, this has got to be one of the most popular words that non-native speakers know about! Let’s now examine how we can use this!

何が可笑しいの？

Romaji: Nani ga okashii no?

English: What’s so funny/weird?

それは何？

Romaji: Sore wa nani?

English: What is it?

When

Now, let’s take a look at how to express “When” in Japanese with the word “いつ (Itsu)”. Unlike 誰 (だれ, Dare), attaching a “か (Ka)” to “いつ” makes it “いつか,” a word that indicates “Some time (in the future).” If you want to ask a question, look at the sample sentence later! As for attaching “も (Mo)” to “いつ”, the word “いつも” can be more or less translated to “Always, Usually or All the time”.

いつから漫画が好きなの？

Romaji: Itsu kara manga ga suki na no?

English: Since when did you like manga?

Where

Moving on, we look at expressing “Where” through the use of the Japanese word “どこ (Doko)”! This word may often be familiar to those who love Doraemon! Why? Well, he has a door known as the “どこでもドア (Doko demo doa)” that can bring him anywhere, of course!

どこでその話を聞いたの？

Romaji: Doko de sono hanashi wo kiita no?

English: Where did you hear that from?

Why/How

Lastly, let’s examine expressing “Why” and “How.” In the Japanese language, some words have overlapping meanings, whereas some can mean “Why” and “How ” simultaneously. As such, it can be really hard to differentiate between the two sometimes. Nevertheless, some more common words can be used interchangeably to mean “Why” and “How”!

The first word, なぜ (Naze), can be used in various contexts to refer to “why” or “how.”

なんで(なぜ)お父さんがここにいるの？

Romaji: Nande (Naze) otousan ga koko ni iru no?

English: Why is dad here?

Note: なんで is used in a more Casual Setting.

The second word, どうして (Doushite), can be used in certain contexts to express “How/Why did that happen?” “Why?”

どうしてそう言ったの？

Romaji: Doushite sou itta no?

English: Why did you say that?

Last but not least, we have どう (Dou), specifically referred to as “How.” When used as a question, it can also mean “In what way/How was it done?” or “How was it?”.

そのドーナツはどう？

Romaji: Sono donaatsu wa dou?

English: How was the donut?

As confusing as it sounds, some Japanese words tend to have overlapping meanings. When to use them can largely vary and often depend on the context. Once you can familiarise yourself with when to use the word, we’re sure you’ll be able to ask questions in Japanese like a pro!

Let’s watch an animated video to revise what you have learned!

If you are interested in learning Japanese, check out the various Japanese courses offered by Coto Language Academy!

You Might Be Wondering

How do you express "who" in Japanese?

You use the interrogative pronoun “誰” (dare) to ask “who.” For example:

• 誰が来たのですか？ (Dare ga kimashita no desu ka?) – Who came?

How do you express "what" in Japanese?

ou use the interrogative pronoun “何” (nani) to ask “what.” For example:

• 何を食べましたか？ (Nani o tabemashita ka?) – What did you eat?

How do you express "when" in Japanese?

You use the interrogative pronoun “いつ” (itsu) to ask “when.” For example:

• いつ出発しますか？ (Itsu shuppatsu shimasu ka?) – When will you leave?

How do you express "where" in Japanese?

You use the interrogative pronoun “どこ” (doko) to ask “where.” For example:

• どこへ行きますか？ (Doko e ikimasu ka?) – Where are you going?

How do you express "why" in Japanese?

You use the interrogative pronoun “なぜ” (naze) or “どうして” (dōshite) to ask “why.” For example:

• なぜ遅れたのですか？ (Naze okureta no desu ka?) – Why were you late?

How do you express "how" in Japanese?

You can use different words depending on the context. For example:

• “どのように” (dō yō ni) can be used for “how” in a general sense.
• “どうやって” (dō yatte) can be used for “how” in a more specific sense, such as “how to do something.”

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