Basic Questions in Japanese

Do you need to ask questions in Japanese? Start a dialog? Hold a conversation in Japanese? Don't know how to start? In this article we separate some basic and common questions that we need to ask in a dialogue in Japan, great for tourists or for those who have been to Japan recently.

It was not easy to choose the phrases, they are infinite. We hope that this article will serve as a foundation for you to be able to create your own questions and answers correctly.

Questions in Japanese

What is your name?
名前は何ですか。
(o)namae wa nan desu ka?
Who is this person?
あの人は誰ですか。
ano hito wa dare desu ka?
Where do you live?
どこに住んでいますか。
doko Are you living in Japan?
What do you work with?
仕事は何ですか。
shigoto wa nan desu ka?
How it is?
どうですか。
dou desu ka?
How is the weather?
天気はどうですか。
Tenki wa dou desu ka?
You are hungry?
お腹が空いていますか。
Are you hungry?
What is it?
これは何ですか
kore wa nan desu ka?
What is the problem?
どうしたんですか。
I'm sorry, but "Doushitan desu ka?" seems to be in Japanese, and it doesn't have a direct translation to English. If you have a specific context or information about the meaning of this phrase, I'll be happy to help you understand it.
Could you take a picture?
写真を撮ってもらえませんか?
Shashin wo totte moraemasen ka?
It's my first time here, do you know any good restaurants around here?
初めて来たのですが、この辺りで美味しいお店を知っていますか
Hajimete kita no desu ga, kono atari de oishii o-mise wo shitte-imasuka?
How much does it cost?
これはいくらですか
Kore wa ikura desu ka
Is this train heading to [Shibuya]?
この電車は「渋谷」へ行きますか?
Kono densha wa [Shibuya] and ikimasu ka?
How long does it take to get to [Shinjuku]?
「新宿」までどの位かかりますか?
[Shinjuku] made owner gurai kakarimasu ka?
Where are you from?
どこから来たの?
Where did you come from?
What are you doing?
何してるの?
Nani shiteru no?
Where did you get these clothes?
その服どこで買ったの?
Sono fuku doko from katta no?
What are you drinking?
何飲んでるの?
Nani nonderu no?
You have boyfriend?
彼氏いる?
Kareshi iru?
What do you think? 
どう思われますか Doo omowaremasu ka
Do you think it's possible BLA?
BLAできると思いますか BLA dekiru to omoi masuka
Could you write this for me? 
ここに書いていただけますか Koko ni kaite itadakemasu ka
Could you repeat? 
もお一度言っていただけますか Moo ichido itte itadakemasuka
What do you think?
そのことをどう思われますか
Sono koto wo dou omowaremasuka
Have you ever felt like that? 
そのように感じたことがありますか Sono youni kanjita koto ga arimasuka
Did you notice this? 
このことを起きず気になったことはありますか
Kono koto wo okizuki ni nattakoto wa arimasuka
Do you agree? 
同意されますか dooi saremasuka
Do you think this is important? 
大切な事だと思われますかtaisetsu na koto dato omowaremasuka

How to answer the questions?

This is a slightly more delicate subject, it is necessary to have a basic knowledge of Japanese vocabulary. If the answer is simply one word, just say it and sometimes add “desu [です]” to make it more formal.

If the answer is a verb, remember to conjugate it correctly. We recommend reading our article with phrases to convert into japanese. This article will help you to have an even better conversation.

if you are a newbie in japanese language, or want to know more basic words and phrases, we recommend that you read other articles:

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