Question Words — なに·だれ·どこ·いつ·どう·いくら·いくつ

What You Will Learn in This Unit

In this unit you will learn the meanings and positions of the question words なに·だれ·どこ·いつ·どう·いくら·いくつ, which are used to ask about things you do not know. You will also learn the two readings of 何, the uses of どうして and なぜ, the pattern どんな + noun, the 何 + counter construction, and the forms of question words with か and も.

Meaning and Position of Question Words

A question word is a word that marks the unknown part of a question. A question word stays in the place where the answer would go, and the rest of the word order is the same as in a declarative sentence. A question sentence ends with か, and when asking politely it ends with ですか. The main question words are as follows.

A question word is placed where the answer goes. In 「これは 本(ほん)です。」, if you put 何 in the place of 本, you get 「これは 何(なん)ですか。」 Since the rest of the word order does not change, you do not need to memorize separate question sentences. どう is used in the form どうですか, as in 「日本(にほん)は どうですか。」, to ask about the condition or opinion of something.

The Two Readings of 何 — なに and なん

何 can be read as either なに or なん. The reading is determined by the first sound of the word that follows. When the following word begins with a だ-row or な-row sound, such as です, の, 人(にん), or 日(にち), it is read なん. When other sounds follow, such as か, が, or を, it is read なに.

「何ですか」 is read なんですか, and 「何か」 is read なにか. Remember that even with the same kanji 何, the reading changes depending on the sound that follows.

どうして·なぜ and どんな + Noun

どうして and なぜ are both reason question words meaning 'why,' and since they have the same meaning, they can be used interchangeably. Both are used to ask a question by adding か at the end of the sentence. Expressions for answering questions about reasons are covered in Unit 33.

どんな is placed before a noun to ask 'what kind of ○○.' どんな itself is not a noun, so a noun must always follow it. 「どんな 本(ほん)ですか。」 means 'What kind of book is it?' どう and どんな look similar, but どう is used alone, as in 「どうですか」, whereas どんな must always be used together with a noun.