As you start learning Japanese, one of the first things you'll need to master is question words. These are words like who, what, where, when, and why that allow you to ask for information.

The good news is that Japanese question words are relatively straightforward. Once you know the basic words, you can combine them with the grammar you've already learned to start asking all kinds of questions.

Here are the most important Japanese question words to know.

何（なに・なん）— What

何（なに） means “what.”

You can use it to ask about objects, activities, food, and much more.

これは何ですか。
What is this?

何を食べますか。
What will you eat?

You may also hear 何（なん） instead of なに. The pronunciation changes depending on what comes after it.

For example:

何ですか。
なんですか
What is it?

何人ですか。
なんにんですか
How many people?

Don't worry too much about memorizing every pronunciation rule right away. You'll become familiar with the patterns as you encounter them.

誰（だれ）— Who

誰（だれ） means “who.”

Use it when you're asking about a person.

あの人は誰ですか。
Who is that person?

誰と行きますか。
Who are you going with?

You may also encounter the more polite どなた, particularly when referring to someone respectfully.

どなたですか。
Who is this? / Who are you?

For everyday conversation, 誰 is the word you'll hear most often.

どこ — Where

どこ means “where.”

It's used to ask about locations.

トイレはどこですか。
Where is the bathroom?

どこに住んでいますか。
Where do you live?

Notice that the particle changes depending on the sentence.

どこに行きますか。
Where are you going?

どこで食べますか。
Where will you eat?

The question word itself stays the same. The particle tells us how the location relates to the verb.

いつ — When

いつ means “when.”

いつ日本に行きますか。
When are you going to Japan?

いつ勉強しますか。
When do you study?

Unlike words such as どこ and 誰, いつ generally doesn't need a particle when it's simply asking when something happens.

なぜ・どうして — Why

Japanese has several ways to ask “why?”

The two you'll encounter most often are:

なぜ — why
どうして — why

For example:

なぜ日本語を勉強していますか。
Why are you studying Japanese?

どうして日本に行きたいですか。
Why do you want to go to Japan?

There are differences in nuance and formality, but as a beginner, it's useful to think of both as “why?”

In casual conversation, you may also hear:

なんで — why

なんで日本語を勉強してるの？
Why are you studying Japanese?

どう — How

どう means “how” or “in what way.”

It's used when asking about a method, condition, or opinion.

これはどうですか。
How is this? / What do you think of this?

どうやって日本語を勉強しますか。
How do you study Japanese?

A useful expression to remember is:

どうやって — How / By what method

どうやって学校に行きますか。
How do you get to school?

どうやって作りますか。
How do you make it?

どれ — Which one?

どれ means “which one?”

It's used when you're choosing between multiple things.

どれが好きですか。
Which one do you like?

Imagine someone pointing at three drinks:

どれですか。
Which one?

You'll often see どれ used with が:

どれがいいですか。
Which one is good? / Which one would you like?

どの — Which + Noun

どの is similar to どれ, but there's an important difference.

どれ can stand alone.

どの must come before a noun.

どれが好きですか。
Which one do you like?

But:

どの本が好きですか。
Which book do you like?

You can't say:

❌ どのが好きですか。

because どの needs a noun after it.

Think of it like this:

どれ = which one
どの + noun = which ___

どんな — What kind of?

どんな means “what kind of” or “what sort of.”

どんな音楽が好きですか。
What kind of music do you like?

どんな人ですか。
What kind of person are they?

This is especially useful when asking someone about their interests or preferences.

Compare:

何の音楽が好きですか。
What music do you like?

どんな音楽が好きですか。
What kind of music do you like?

The first asks more specifically about what music. The second asks about the type or characteristics of the music.

How Japanese Question Words Work

One of the best things about Japanese question words is that you can often drop them into sentences you already know.

For example, you might already know:

日本に行きます。
I go to Japan.

Change 日本 to どこ:

どこに行きますか。
Where are you going?

Or:

友達と行きます。
I go with a friend.

Change 友達 to 誰:

誰と行きますか。
Who are you going with?

This is a great way to practice. Instead of memorizing dozens of completely new sentences, take sentences you already understand and replace the information you want to ask about.

One More Pattern: Question Words + Particles

As you move into intermediate Japanese, you'll notice that question words don't always work the same way. The particle that follows the question word matters.

Compare:

どこに行きますか。
Where are you going?

どこで食べますか。
Where are you eating?

誰と話しますか。
Who are you talking with?

何を買いますか。
What are you buying?

The question word tells you what information is missing, while the particle tells you what role that information plays in the sentence.

That's an important idea to keep in mind as you move beyond beginner Japanese.

If you can understand the question words, you've already unlocked a huge part of everyday Japanese conversation. The next step is learning how to combine them with different particles and grammar patterns to ask more natural, nuanced questions.