What, who, where, when, how much

The words

How they differ

These words ask for information. In polite speech they often sit before ですか (desu ka):

「なに ですか?」(nani desu ka?) / more often 「なん ですか?」(nan desu ka?)

「だれ ですか?」(dare desu ka?)

「どこ ですか?」(doko desu ka?)

「いつ ですか?」(itsu desu ka?)

「いくら ですか?」(ikura desu ka?)

なに (nani) often becomes なん (nan) before です, で, and counters: なん です, なんで, なんにん. Same meaning — just easier to say.

どこ (doko) you already met with places. Here it joins the question-word family.

Five slots: thing · person · place · time · price. なに = thing, だれ = person, どこ = place, いつ = time, いくら = price.

One line: なに・だれ・どこ・いつ・いくら.

Next: Numbers 1–10 plus えん (en) for prices — so you can answer 「いくら ですか?」

See it in a sentence

1. kore wa nan desu ka?

   これは なん ですか?

   What is this? (polite)

2. ano hito wa dare desu ka?

   あの ひと は だれ ですか?

   Who is that person over there? (polite)

3. toire wa doko desu ka?

   トイレは どこ ですか?

   Where is the bathroom? (polite)

4. itsu ikimasu ka?

   いつ いきますか?

   When will you go? (polite)

5. kore wa ikura desu ka?

   これは いくら ですか?

   How much is this? (polite)

Watch out

なに (nani) = what (general) / なん (nan) = same word, used before です / で / counters だれ (dare) = who / どれ (dore) = which one (thing) いつ (itsu) = when / いくら (ikura) = how much (money)

Try it

1. In your next story, find one of なに / なん, だれ, どこ, いつ, or いくら. Say the question out loud, then guess what kind of answer would fit (a thing, a person, a place, a time, or a price).

   Check against the lesson cluster and say it out loud.