How can you make question sentences and answer it in Japanese?
In this article, I will teach you how you can ask and answer questions.
I will also teach you common Japanese questions.
When you finish reading this article, you will understand Japanese question forms.
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If you want to know question words, please read this article.
Let’s learn Japanese words for question
how to ask and answer
Add “か” to the end of a sentence when you ask a question.
・…ですか (noun or adjective questions)
・…ますか (verb questions)
What’s your name?
Do you drink coffee?
How can you answer a question?
Let’s see some patterns.
Noun question
If you say yes, you can say はい, そうです.
If you say no, you can say いいえ, ちがいます.
はい、そうです。(Yes, I am.)
いいえ、ちがいます。(No, I’m not.)
Adjective question
If you say yes, repeat the adjective.
If you say no, you use the negative form of adjectives.
Please read this article if you don’t know negative form of adjectives.
Learning Japanese grammar-adjectives conjugation
はい、からいです。(Yes, it is.)
いいえ、からくないです。(No, it isn’t.)
はい、しずかです。(Yes, it is.)
いいえ、しずかじゃないです。(No, it isn’t.)
Verb question
If you say yes, repeat the verb.
If you say no, you use the negative form of verbs.
Please read this article if you don’t know negative form of verbs.
Learning negative sentences in japanese
はい、のみます。(Yes, I do.)
いいえ、のみません。(No, I don’t.)
A or B question
We don’t use はい or いいえ when we respond to an AかBか type of question.
×はい、あかいかばんです。
→あかいかばんです。(Red one.)
Common Japanese questions
I want to some common Japanese questions.
What’s your name?
Q. おなまえはなんですか。
A. スミスといいます。
We usually answer our last name or full name.
Where are you from?
Q. ごしゅっしんはどちらですか。
or おくにはどちらですか。
A. アメリカです。
How old are you?
Q. おいくつですか。
or なんさいですか。(casual way)
A. 19さいです。
In your country, this question might be rude, but there is possibility that you will be asked this in Japan.
Please don’t be upset.
Can you speak Japanese?
Q. にほんご、はなせますか。
A. はい、はなせます。
You don’t often say “can you speak ○○?”.
You would ask “do you speak ○○?”, but this is a proper expression in Japanese.
What’s your job?
Q. おしごとはなんですか。or おしごとはなにをされていますか。
A. せんせいです。or せんせいをしています。
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