Japanese conversation questions to keep talking

Have you ever tried to chat on social media with a Japanese person, but can't remember interesting questions to keep a conversation going? You might even be at an advanced level of Japanese, but if you don't have practice in conversing, you can feel lost not knowing what to ask.

Answering questions can be easy, but asking them is not so simple, especially when we are not familiar with Japanese grammar. In Brazil, we already have the habit of meeting someone and immediately asking everything about their life, but it is not usually like that in Japan. You should take it easy and ask calm questions, and who knows, even talk about bread.

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Questions to generate topics in Japanese

Let's skip all those questions that everyone knows, like good morning, good afternoon, how are you, it's a pleasure… If those still mix in your head, start with how to say hi and hello in Japanese and come back here.

The lines below are in the polite です／ます form. With a friend your age, you can drop to the casual versions. If the other person is older, at work, or someone you only know online, stay polite until they switch first. That timing is the everyday side of keigo in Japanese, even when you are just chatting. And skip あなた in front of every question: Japanese usually drops “you.” The sentences already work without it.

What do you do in your free time?

• 暇なときに何をするんですか？
• Hima na toki ni nani o surun desu ka?

Casual: 暇なとき何してるの？ (Hima na toki nani shiteru no?)

What are you doing?

• 何をしているんですか？
• Nani o shite irun desu ka?

Casual: 何してるの？ (Nani shiteru no?). This is “right now,” not a vague “what's going on.”

What are your hobbies?

• 趣味は何ですか？
• Shumi wa nan desu ka?

A lot of people freeze on 趣味. They are not sure if watching anime counts, or they feel their free time is not “a hobby.” 最近ハマっていることはありますか？ (Saikin hamatte iru koto wa arimasu ka?) — “Is there anything you've been into lately?” — usually gets a longer answer. If they mention anime, you already have a whole lane in talking about anime in Japanese.

How's the weather?

• 天気はどうですか？
• Tenki wa dou desu ka?

In person, 今日は暑いですね (Kyou wa atsui desu ne) often works better than a quiz. Online, the textbook question is still fine.

Are you hungry?

• お腹すいてますか？
• Onaka suite masu ka?

Polite textbook form: お腹が空いていますか。 (Onaka ga suite imasu ka?)

What is this?

• これは何ですか？
• Kore wa nan desu ka?

Where are you from?

• 出身はどこですか？
• Shusshin wa doko desu ka?

Hometown, prefecture, country — this one opens food, dialect, and “have you been?” without asking for an address.

Where do you live?

• どこに住んでいますか？
• Doko ni sunde imasu ka?

Fine after a few messages. On day one it can feel like you are mapping them.

What is your job?

• 仕事は何ですか？
• Shigoto wa nan desu ka?

Softer: お仕事は何をされていますか？ (O-shigoto wa nani o sarete imasu ka?)

What food do you like?

• 好きな食べ物は何ですか？
• Suki na tabemono wa nan desu ka?

Shall we hang out one day?

• いつか遊びに行きませんか？
• Itsuka asobi ni ikimasen ka?

遊び here is hanging out, not “play” like a child. Save it for when the chat already has a little warmth.

Questions that land too close too soon

These are real Japanese questions. They are not wrong. They are just heavy for a first LINE chat or a first drink.

How old are you?

• 何歳ですか？
• Nan sai desu ka?

What is your height?

• 身長はどのくらいですか？
• Shinchou wa dono kurai desu ka?

What's wrong?

• どうしたんですか？
• Doushitan desu ka?

This one sounds like something happened. Use it when the person looks upset or went quiet, not as a hello. Salary, religion, and “do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?” can wait until the conversation is already personal.

After they answer, keep the ball in the air

A question is only a start. If they say they like ramen, don't jump to the weather. Throw something back:

• へえ、そうなんですか。 — Hee, sou nan desu ka. (Oh, really?)
• どうしてそれが好きなんですか？ — Doushite sore ga suki nan desu ka? (Why do you like that?)
• どんな感じですか？ — Donna kanji desu ka? (What's it like?)
• もっと教えてください。 — Motto oshiete kudasai. (Tell me more.)

Short backchannels — うんうん, へえ, なるほど — keep the other person talking. For tiny everyday questions beyond this list, there is a set of short Japanese questions for daily conversation. If the chat is a status or a story instead of a live thread, Japanese phrases for WhatsApp and social statuses fill a different job.

There are thousands of questions you could ask. The useful ones are the ones that give the other person something easy to throw back — not a form to fill in. Start small. Leave age and height for later. And if the chat stalls, bread still works.