Core Question Words
Here are the essential interrogatives you need to know:
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 誰 | だれ (dare) | who |
| 何 | なに / なん (nani / nan) | what |
| どこ | doko | where |
| いつ | itsu | when |
| なぜ / どうして / なんで | naze / doushite / nande | why |
| どう | dou | how (in what way) |
| どれ | dore | which (of three+) |
| どちら | dochira | which (of two), where (polite) |
| いくつ | ikutsu | how many, how old |
| いくら | ikura | how much (price) |
A quick note on "why": なぜ is the most formal, どうして is neutral, and なんで is casual. Pick based on who you're talking to. Our lesson on talking about yourself puts these question words to use in real conversations, and you'll find many of them in our useful Japanese phrases for beginners.
And 何 switches between なに and なん depending on what follows. Use なん before で, の, and sounds starting with d/t/n (like 何で, 何の, 何時). Otherwise use なに (何を, 何が).
Particle Combinations
This is where question words get really powerful. By attaching も, でも, or か, you transform a question into something else entirely.
| Question Word | +も (with negative) | +でも | +か |
|---|---|---|---|
| 誰 | 誰も〜ない (nobody) | 誰でも (anyone) | 誰か (someone) |
| 何 | 何も〜ない (nothing) | 何でも (anything) | 何か (something) |
| どこ | どこも〜ない (nowhere) | どこでも (anywhere) | どこか (somewhere) |
| いつ | いつも (always)* | いつでも (anytime) | いつか (someday) |
*Note: いつも is a special case — with a positive verb it means "always," not "never."
The pattern is straightforward: か makes things indefinite (some-), でも makes things universal and permissive (any-), and も with a negative verb makes things exclusive (no-). With a positive verb, も means "every-" (どこも行った. I went everywhere).