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Question words
The Japanese interrogatives — what, who, where, which, what-kind, how — plus the neat こそあど grid of "this / that / that over there / which".
The short version
Most Japanese interrogatives start with ど: 何 ("what") and 誰 ("who") are the odd ones out, then どこ (where), どれ (which), どんな (what kind), どう / どうやって (how). Many of them belong to a tidy four-way set called こそあど.
| Question | Meaning | Answers with |
|---|---|---|
| なに / なん | what | a thing |
| だれ | who | a person |
| どこ | where | a place |
| どんな | what kind of | a description |
| どうやって | how (by what means) | a method |
どんな — "what kind of …?"
どんな sits directly before a noun and asks about its nature or type.
どうやって — "how / by what means?"
Use どうやって to ask about the method — the steps or the way something's done.
なに — "what?"
何 takes the same particles as any noun — 何を ("what" as object), 何が ("what" as subject), 何で ("with what / how").
The こそあど grid
Demonstratives come in a four-column pattern: こ (near me) · そ (near you) · あ (over there) · ど (the question). Learn one row and you know them all.
| Type | こ / そ / あ / ど |
|---|---|
| thing | これ ・ それ ・ あれ ・ どれ |
| + noun | この ・ その ・ あの ・ どの |
| place | ここ ・ そこ ・ あそこ ・ どこ |
| kind | こんな ・ そんな ・ あんな ・ どんな |
Watch out
Next: どうして・なぜ・なんで — why → · か — question marker → · All grammar