Japanese Lesson 09 – Question Forms · N5

📋 Expression Reference — Question Forms

Key question phrases across three formality levels. Press ▶ to hear any expression.

FORMAL — けいご (KEIGO)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
～はどちらにございますか？	~ wa dochira ni gozaimasu ka?	こちらにございます。Kochira ni gozaimasu.	Where is ~? (keigo)
どなたにごようですか？	Donata ni go-you desu ka?	たなかせんせいにならっております。Tanaka-sensei ni naratte orimasu.	Who are you here to see?
いつごらんになりましたか？	Itsu goran ni narimashita ka?	きのうはいけんしました。Kinou haiken shimashita.	When did you view/see it? (keigo)

STANDARD — ていねい (DESU/MASU)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
～はどこですか？	~ wa doko desu ka?	さんかいのきょうしつです。Sankai no kyoushitsu desu.	Asking location
なにをしていますか？	Nani wo shite imasu ka?	べんきょうをしています。Benkyou wo shite imasu.	What are you doing?
いついきますか？	Itsu ikimasu ka?	らいしゅういきます。Raishuu ikimasu.	When are you going?
だれがきましたか？	Dare ga kimashita ka?	やまださんがきました。Yamada-san ga kimashita.	Who came?
なぜ／どうして～ますか？	Naze / doushite ~ masu ka?	～だからです。~ dakara desu.	Why? (standard)

CASUAL — くだけた言い方

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
なにするの？	Nani suru no?	えいがみるよ。Eiga miru yo.	What are you doing?
どこいくの？	Doko iku no?	コンビニ。Konbini.	Where are you going?
いつ？	Itsu?	あした。Ashita.	When? (bare word)
だれと？	Dare to?	ともだちと。Tomodachi to.	Who with?
なんで？	Nande?	すきだから。Suki dakara.	Why? (casual)

🗣 Mini Dialogues

Three scenes using question forms at different formality levels. Press ▶ to hear each line.

A — FORMAL · School Admin Office

エマ

すみません、にほんごのじゅぎょうはどこですか？

Sumimasen, nihongo no jugyou wa doko desu ka?

Excuse me, where is the Japanese class?

[SUBJECT] は　どこですか？

[subject] wa doko desu ka?

[thing/person] where is?

→ "Where is [the Japanese class]?" — replace [SUBJECT] with any place, person, or item you are looking for.

じむいん

さんかいのきょうしつです。どなたにごようですか？

Sankai no kyoushitsu desu. Donata ni go-you desu ka?

It's the classroom on the third floor. Who are you here to see?

どなたにごようですか？

donata ni go-you desu ka?

who [to/for] is your business?

→ どなた is the polite form of だれ. ごよう (御用) = "business / errand." Used at reception desks and offices.

エマ

たなかせんせいににほんごをならっています。ありがとうございます。

Tanaka-sensei ni nihongo wo naratte imasu. Arigatou gozaimasu.

I'm studying Japanese with Tanaka-sensei. Thank you very much.

B — STANDARD · Café, Getting Acquainted

みどり

ケビンさんはどこからきましたか？

Kevin-san wa doko kara kimashita ka?

Kevin, where are you from?

ケビン

カナダからきました。みどりさんはなぜにほんごをべんきょうしていますか？

Kanada kara kimashita. Midori-san wa naze nihongo wo benkyou shite imasu ka?

I'm from Canada. Midori, why are you studying Japanese?

[PERSON] は　なぜ [VERB-ています] か？

[person] wa naze [verb-te imasu] ka?

[person] [topic] why [doing] ?

→ "Why is [person] [doing something]?" — なぜ is more formal than どうして; both fit standard speech.

みどり

にほんのぶんかがすきだからです。あなたはどうですか？

Nihon no bunka ga suki dakara desu. Anata wa dou desu ka?

Because I like Japanese culture. What about you?

あなたはどうですか？

anata wa dou desu ka?

you [topic] how / what about?

→ "What about you?" — use どうですか？ to invite someone to share their view or experience.

C — CASUAL · Friends, Weekend Plans

ゆうと

ねえ、しゅうまつなにするの？

Nee, shuumatsu nani suru no?

Hey, what are you doing this weekend?

[TIME] なに [VERB-plain] の？

[time] nani [verb-plain] no?

[time] what [doing] [casual ?]

→ の? on a plain-form verb = friendly casual question. More natural with friends than using か?

はな

えいがをみるよ。いつあう？

Eiga wo miru yo. Itsu au?

I'm watching a movie. When shall we meet?

ゆうと

どこでみる？ちかくのえいがかんってどう？

Doko de miru? Chikaku no eigakan tte dou?

Where will you see it? How about the cinema nearby?

📋 Key Patterns & Cheatsheet ▼

Yes / No Questions

🟢 STANDARD

いきますか？

Ikimasu ka?

Are you going?

Add か to the end of any polite sentence. No word-order change needed.

🟡 CASUAL

いくの？ / いく？

Iku no? / Iku?

Are you going?

Plain form + の? = warm casual question. Rising intonation alone = very casual.

WH-Questions — question word stays in place

🟢 STANDARD

どこにいきますか？

Doko ni ikimasu ka?

Where are you going?

なに・どこ・いつ・だれ stay where the answer would go. Japanese does NOT move question words to the front.

🟡 CASUAL

どこいくの？

Doko iku no?

Where ya going?

Drop particles where natural. A bare question word (いつ？だれと？) can stand alone.

Asking "Why" and "How"

WHY

なぜ／どうして？
→ なんで？（casual）

Naze / doushite?
→ Nande?

Why?

なぜ = formal. どうして = standard. なんで = casual. Answer all with ～だから(です).

HOW

どうですか？
→ どう？（casual）

Dou desu ka?
→ Dou?

How is it? / What do you think?

どう asks about manner or invites an opinion. あなたはどうですか？ = "What about you?"

Making questions more formal — でしょうか

🟢 STANDARD

どこですか？
だれですか？

Doko desu ka?
Dare desu ka?

Where is it? / Who is it?

Fine for most polite situations.

🔵 FORMAL

どちらでしょうか？
どなたでしょうか？

Dochira deshou ka?
Donata deshou ka?

Where might it be? / Who might you be?

でしょうか softens the question. Pair with どちら and どなた for full keigo.

A — Flashcards

Click a card to flip it. Use ▶ to hear the Japanese.

tap to flip

1 / 10

B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then choose the correct English meaning.

C — Choose the Right Response

Listen to the question, then choose the most natural reply.

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji. Japanese letters are not needed.

💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou / oo). Double consonants → write them twice (きって = kitte).

E — Shadowing Practice

Press ▶ to hear each line, say it aloud, then mark it as practised.

0 of 9 lines practised

📖 Grammar Notes ▼

か — the yes/no question particle

Add か to the end of any polite sentence (ending in です or ます) to make it a yes/no question. No word-order change needed — Japanese does not invert subject and verb.
• いきます → いきますか？ (go → Are you going?)
• がくせいです → がくせいですか？ (student → Are you a student?)
In casual speech, か is replaced by rising intonation or の?.

[POLITE SENTENCE] か？

[polite sentence] ka?

→ Any polite statement becomes a question by adding か.

にほんごがすきですか？

Nihongo ga suki desu ka?

Do you like Japanese?

Question words — the 5W+H of Japanese

Question words sit in the same position as the noun they replace — there is no movement to the front:
  • なに / なん — what (なん before です・で・の; なに elsewhere)
  • どこ — where
  • いつ — when
  • だれ / どなた — who (standard / polite)
  • なぜ / どうして / なんで — why (formal → casual)
  • どう / いかが — how (standard / formal)

きのうどこにいきましたか？

Kinou doko ni ikimashita ka?

Where did you go yesterday?

の? — casual question ending

Attaching の? to a plain-form verb creates a soft, friendly question. It implies curiosity rather than a direct demand.
• なにするの？ — What are you doing? (warm, friendly)
• どこいくの？ — Where are you going? (casual)
Avoid の? with people you don't know well — use ますか instead.

[VERB-plain] の？

[verb-plain] no?

→ "[doing something]?" — use with plain verbs among friends.

えいがみるの？

Eiga miru no?

Are you going to watch a movie?

でしょうか — softened / formal question

Replace ですか with でしょうか to make a question more tentative and polite. It implies "I wonder if…" and is used in customer service, business, and formal speech.
• どこですか？ → どちらでしょうか？
• だれですか？ → どなたでしょうか？
Combine with どちら (polite "where/which") and どなた (polite "who") for full formal register.

おなまえはどなたでしょうか？

O-namae wa donata deshou ka?

May I ask your name? (very polite)

なぜ vs どうして vs なんで — asking "why"

All three mean "why?" but carry different registers:
  • なぜ — formal / written; safe in essays and polite speech
  • どうして — standard everyday spoken Japanese
  • なんで — casual; can also sound accusatory if said sharply
Answer pattern for all: ～だから(です) — "Because ~."

なぜ／どうして／なんでそこにいったんですか？

Naze / doushite / nande soko ni itta n desu ka?

Why did you go there? — formal / standard / casual

どなた vs だれ — politeness of "who"

Both mean "who" but differ in register:
  • だれ — standard; fine for most polite conversations
  • どなた — formal; used in reception, customer service, business
  • どちらさま — very formal; used at doors, on phone calls, in announcements
Rule of thumb: use だれ with colleagues and people you know; use どなた or どちらさま with strangers and in formal settings.

A:【ふつう】だれですか？　B:【けいご】どなたさまでしょうか？

A: Dare desu ka? B: Donata-sama deshou ka?

A: Who is it? (casual) B: May I ask who is calling? (formal)

📚 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
いつ	itsu	when
どこ	doko	where
なに・なん	nani / nan	what (なん before です/で/の)
だれ	dare	who (standard)
どなた	donata	who (polite)
どちらさま	dochira-sama	who (very formal)
なぜ	naze	why (formal / standard)
どうして	doushite	why (standard / casual)
なんで	nande	why (casual)
どう	dou	how / what (manner or opinion)
いかが	ikaga	how (formal / polite)
か	ka	question particle (polite)
の	no	casual question particle
じゅぎょう	jugyou	class / lesson
ぶんか	bunka	culture