Lesson 2: Questions in Japanese | How to ask in Japanese

In this lesson we will look at questions in Japanese or how to ask questions in Japanese.

If you have not yet read the ????lesson 1???? we leave it here.

How are you in Japanese | How to ask how are you in Japanese

How are you in Japanese: Conversation

• Are you ok? ⭐ ¿Ogenki desuka? 「お元気 ですか？」⭐
  • Yes, I’m fine ⭐ Hai, genki desu 「はい、 元気 です」⭐
  • No, I’m not well ⭐ Iie, genki dewa (ja) arimasen.. 「いいえ、 元気 で和 （ジャ） ありません」⭐
  • Yes, I’m very well ⭐ Hai, totemo genki desu 「はい、 とても 元気 です」⭐
  • That’s right ⭐ Māmā desu. Māmā desu 「まあまあです」⭐
  • Well ⭐ Genki 「元気」⭐ (informal)

NOTE: “o” in front of genki is a prefix that makes the word more polite.

Other ways of saying it, similar to the previous ones:

• I’m well ⭐ Genki desu 「元気 です」⭐

• I’m not well ⭐ Genki dewa (ja) arimasen 「元気 で和 （ジャ） ありません」⭐

• ⭐ Ja arimasen 「ジャ ありません」⭐ (is more informal, and is used more in everyday conversation.)

• ⭐ ¿Genki? 「元気？」⭐ (informal)

How to say do you understand in Japanese | Asking a Japanese person

Let’s see how to ask a Japanese person, or how a Japanese person can ask us if we understand.

Do you understand? In Japanese:

• Do you understand? ⭐ ¿Wakari masuka? 「わかり ますか？」⭐
  • Yes, I understand ⭐ Hai, wakari masu 「はい、 わかり ます」⭐
  • No, I do not understand ⭐ Iie, wakari masen 「いいえ、 わかり ません」⭐
  • I understand a little ⭐ Sukoshi wakari masu 「少し わかり ます」⭐
    
• Do you understand Japanese? ⭐ ¿Nihongo ga wakari masuka? 「日本語 が わかり ますか？」⭐
• Do you understand English? ⭐ ¿Eigo ga wakari masuka? 「英語 が わかり ますか？」⭐
  Note: wakaru わかる: to understand, to know
  • I understand⭐ Wakarimasu 「わかります」⭐
  • I do not understand ⭐ Wakarimasen 「わかりません」⭐
  • I have understood ⭐ Wakarimashita 「わかりました」⭐ (I understood. Very well.)

[Nihongo] ga wakari masu「日本語」 が わかり ます: I understand [Japanese].

Note: ga が: A particle that follows the object. It is used with the verb “wakaru わかり”.

• More about Japanese particles here

Please in Japanese | Japanese Requests in Japanese | How to ask in Japanese

Please. (to order):

• Please ⭐ Onegaishimasu 「お願いします」⭐
• Once again, please ⭐ Mōichido onegaishimasu 「もう一度 お願いします」⭐
• Slowly, please ⭐ Yukkuri onegaishimasu 「ゆっくり お願いします」⭐
• Menu, please ⭐ Menyū o onegaishimasu 「メニュウ お お願いします」⭐

Note: Used to ask for a favor.

[Menyū] o onegaishimasu 「メニュウ」 お お願いします: [Menu] please.

Nota: Particle o お follows the object.

Please. (to offer)

• Please ⭐ Dōzo 「どうぞ」⭐
  It is used to offer something. (Here you go. After you. etc.)

Matte kudasai and Chotto matte ( Waiting in Japanese) | How to ask in Japanese

Wait!

• One moment, please ⭐ Chotto matte kudasai 「ちょっと 待って ください。」⭐
  chotto ちょっと: a little

• Please wait ⭐ Matte kudasai 「待って ください」⭐

• Wait ⭐ Chotto matte 「ちょっと 待って」⭐ (informal)

What in Japanese | What is in Japanese | How to ask in Japanese

What?

• What is it? ⭐¿Nan desuka? 「難 ですか？」⭐
• What is this? (in the speaker’s hand) ⭐ ¿Kore wa nan desuka? 「これ は 難 ですか？」⭐
• What is it? (in the listener’s hand) ⭐ ¿Sore wa nan desuka? 「それ は 難 ですか？」⭐
• What is it? (in the sky) ⭐ ¿Sore wa nan desuka? 「それ は 難 ですか？」⭐
• What is [this]? ⭐ [Kore] wa nan desuka?「[これ] は なん ですか？」⭐

Note: wa は: A particle that follows the subject.

Kore, sore, are, nan in Japanese | How to ask a question in Japanese

• kore これ: this (something close to you – the speaker)

• sore それ: that (close to the person you are talking to – the listener)

• are あれ: that (at some distance from both)

• nan なん(nani): what

What time is it in Japanese | What time is it in Japan | How to ask in Japanese

What time is it?

• What time is it? ⭐ ¿Nanji desuka? 「何時 ですか？」⭐
• What time is the departure? ⭐ ¿Suppatsu wa nanji desuka? 「酸っぱつ は 何時 ですか？」⭐
• What time is the arrival time? ⭐ ¿Tōchaku wa nanji desuka? 「到着 は 何時 ですか？」⭐
• What time is [departure]? ⭐ [Shuppatsu] wa nanji desuka? 「[出発] は 何時 ですか？」⭐

Where in Japanese | Where is in Japanese

Where?

• Where is it? ⭐ ¿Doko desuka? 「どこ ですか？」⭐
• Where is the bathroom? ⭐ ¿Toire wa doko desuka? 「トイレ は どこ ですか？」⭐
• Where is [the bathroom]? ⭐ ¿[Toire] wa doko desuka?「[といれ] は どこ ですか？」⭐

Is there in Japanese | How to ask in Japanese

Is there…?

• Is there? ⭐ ¿Ari masuka? 「あり ますか？」⭐
• Do you have vegetarian dishes? ⭐ Bejitarian ryōri wa ari masuka? 「ベジタリアン 料理 は あり ますか？」⭐
• Is there an Internet café? ⭐ Intānetto kafe wa ari masuka? 「いんたアネット カフェ は あり ますか？」⭐
• Do you have [vegetarian dishes]? ⭐ [Bejitarian ryōri] wa ari masuka? 「[べじたりあん りょうり] は あり ますか？」⭐

[Intānetto kafe] wa ari masuka? 「インタアネット カフェ」 は あり ますか？: Is there [an Internet café]?

How much it costs in Japanese | How much it is in Japanese

How much does it cost?

• How much is it? ⭐ ¿Ikura desuka? ⭐
• How much does a double room cost? ⭐ ¿Daburu rūmu wa ikura desuka? ⭐
• How much does [this] cost? ⭐ ¿[Kore] wa ikura desuka? ⭐

Why in Japanese | How to ask in Japanese

Why?

• Why? ⭐ ¿Naze desuka? 「いくら ですか？」⭐
• ⭐ ¿Naze? ¿Dōshite? ¿Nande? 「なぜ？ どうして？ なんで？」⭐ (informal)

Are you OK in Japanese | How to ask in Japanese

Are you ok?

• Are you ok? ⭐ ¿Daijōbu desuka? 「大丈夫 ですか？」⭐
• Yes, I am fine. ⭐ Hai, daijōbu desu. 「はい、 大丈夫 です」⭐
• ⭐ ¿Daijōbu? 「大丈夫?」⭐ (informal)

Basic Japanese basic rules | Japanese word order

The following rules are very simplified. Note that there are some exceptions.

Normally, the subject is placed at the beginning and the verb at the end of the sentence.

• Watashi wa Nihongo ga wakarimasu. I / Japanese / understand
  The subject (sometimes also the object) of the sentence is usually omitted when it can be clearly known from the context.

• (Anata wa) eigo ga wakari masuka? Do (you) understand English?
  

Particles (joshi)

Particles (joshi in Japanese) are usually placed after a word to indicate the function of the word.

• For example, “wa” in the following sentence indicates that “watashi (I)” is a subject, and “ga” indicates that “Nihongo (Japanese)” is an object of the verb “wakarimasu (understand)”.

Japanese particles:
– Watashi wa Nihongo ga wakarimasu (I understand Japanese).

Each particle has different functions and meanings. And some are used with particular verbs.

When you are not sure which particle should be used, you can try saying without it like “Watashi, Nihongo, Wakarimasu”. In most cases, people will understand if the word order is correct.

Japanese sentence forms

You can easily make different shapes by changing the end of the sentence. The order of the words remains the same.

Japanese Sentence Forms – Japanese Affirmative Form

• Affirmative
  Affirmative sentences usually end with “desu” or “masu”.

You can assume that sentences with the verb “to be” end with “desu”. And sentences with other verbs end with “masu”.

Examples:

• Genki desu. I’m fine.
• Wakari masu. I understand.

Japanese Sentence Forms – Negative Form Japanese

• Negative
  Change “desu” to “dewa arimasen” or “ja arimasen”. “ja” sounds more informal, and is used more often in everyday conversation.

Note: Change “masu” to “masen”.

Examples:

• Genki dewa (ja) arimasen. I’m not well.
• Wakari masen. I do not understand.

Japanese Sentence Forms – Japanese Interrogative Form

Question (interrogative)
To make an interrogative sentence, “ka” is added to the end of the sentence.

• (O) ¿Genki desuka? Are you ok?
• ¿Genki dewa (ja) arimasenka? Are you not well?
• ¿Wakari masuka? Do you understand?
• ¿Wakari masenka? Don’t you understand?