JLPT N5 Question Words: Usage, Patterns and Examples
Asking questions is a fundamental skill in Japanese. JLPT N5 learners need to know basic question words, their correct usage, and sentence patterns. This guide covers all essential question words with examples to help beginners understand and practice effectively.
1. Common Question Words
| Word | Hiragana | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 誰 | だれ | Who | これは誰ですか？ Who is this? |
| 何 | なに / なん | What | これは何ですか？ What is this? |
| どこ | どこ | Where | 駅はどこですか？ Where is the station? |
| いつ | いつ | When | パーティーはいつですか？ When is the party? |
| なぜ / どうして | なぜ / どうして | Why | どうして遅れましたか？ Why were you late? |
| どう | どう | How | これはどうですか？ How is this? |
| いくつ | いくつ | How many / How old | いくつですか？ How old are you? |
| どの / どれ | どの / どれ | Which | どれが好きですか？ Which one do you like? |
| どちら | どちら | Which (polite) | どちらがいいですか？ Which is better? |
2. Patterns with Question Words
- Question word + verb + か — Simple question: 何を食べますか？ — What will you eat?
- Question word + noun + ですか — To ask about something specific: これは何ですか？ — What is this?
- Question word + verb + たいですか — Asking preference: どこに行きたいですか？ — Where do you want to go?
- Question word + verb + ましたか — Past action question: 何をしましたか？ — What did you do?
3. Using か and も with Questions
- か — Used to indicate a question: あなたは学生ですか？ — Are you a student?
- も — “Also” or “any” in negative: 誰も来ませんでした — No one came.
- Combine question word with も for “everyone / anything”: 何も食べませんでした — I didn’t eat anything.
4. Tips for Using Question Words
- Memorize each question word with common sentence patterns.
- Practice replacing nouns and verbs to form different questions.
- Listen to natural questions in conversations to understand usage.
- Combine with particles like か and も for accurate meaning.
5. Practice Questions
- Translate: “Who is this?”
- Form a question: “Where is the library?”
- Ask: “When is the party?” in Japanese.
- Form a question: “Which do you like?”
- Translate: “Why are you late?”