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Basic Japanese Question Words

July 19th 2007 10:57
There are a number of ways to ask questions in Japanese. The most easy, and obvious of these is to add a ka onto the end of a statement, just after desu. (Also discussed in the Desu article)

Eg.

あなた スピン 先生 (せんせ 356;) です.
Anata wa Supin Sensei Desu.
You are Dr Spin.

あなた [LINK="www.drspin.com.au/ha"]は[/LINK] スピン 先生 (せんせい) ですか.

Anata wa Supin Sensei Desu Ka?
Are you Dr Spin?

This can be used for any sentance where you're simply seeking a kind of yes/no answer, to verify or disprove a statement.

If you want more information, then you will need to ask one of the big questions. We will use Dr Spin as an example. When using a question word, we will use it to replace the information word. The question word and the answer word will both be underlined.

Who? Dare

Dr Spin wa dare desuka?
Who is Dr Spin?

Dr Spin wa cono hito desu.
Dr Spin is that person.

What? Nan/Nani

Dr Spin wa nan desu ka?
What is Dr Spin?

Dr Spin wa hito desu.
Dr Spin is a person.

Why? Doshite/Naze

Doshite, Dr Spin wa kanashii desuka?
Why is Dr Spin sad?

Garufurendo ga nai no de, Dr Supin wa kanashii desu.
Dr Spin is sad because he doesn't have a girlfriend.

When? Istu

Dr Spin wa itsu ikimaska?
When is Dr Spin coming?

Dr Spin wa Ju Ji ikimasu.

Dr Spin is coming at Ten.

Where? Doko

Dr Spin wa doko desuka?
Where is Dr Spin?

Dr Spin wa Coco desu.
Dr Spin is there.

Which? Dochira. This word is used when having to make a selection, or to attempt to pinpoint a particular thing or person. For example, when choosing a flavour of icecream.

Dochira ga suki desuka?
Which one do you like?

Cochira ga suki desu.
I like this one.

How? Nan De. This is better translated as 'by what means.'

Nan de, gako ni ikimasu.
How (by what means) do you go to school.

Busu de, gako ni inkimasu.
I go to school by bus.

How Much? (For price)

Cono ringo wa ikura deska.
How much is this apple?

Cono ringo wa ju en desu.
This apple is ten Yen.
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