0021 : Japanese basics (N5-N3) – What 何 (NAN)

 

 

 

How to ask a question with what in Japanese

 

When we ask an open question where we want to ask a free answer rather than a yes / no answer, one of the question words (interrogative) is 何 (NAN), which we have already seen as 何歳 (how old) in this lesson on age.

 

And although an interrogative word is at the top position of a sentence in English, in Japanese, 何 (NAN) takes the position of the element of the sentence that we want to know.

 

So, in a grammatical pattern, 

 

XはYです。

X wa Y desu.

X is Y.

 

we can replace Y with 何 (NAN) and add a question particle か at the end of the sentence.

 

For example, 

 

それは何ですか。

kore wa nan desu ka.

What is that?

 

Be careful not to make the typical mistake of asking a question 

 

何はYですか。

 

where 何 occupies the position of X.

This is probably a common mistake when referring to “What is this?” sentence in English.

 

Because in the grammar pattern XはYです。, we know that X has a certain specific meaning and it is Y that can be unknonwn.

 

How to answer

 

When being asked with

 

それは何ですか。

kore wa nan desu ka.

What is that?

 

you can answer with

 

1- only the necessary information

2 – the whole answer

 

For example, 

 

スマホです。

sumaho desu.

This is a smartphone.

 

これはスマホです。

This is a smartphone.

 

Comparing to an open question and a closed question 

 

Sometimes, Japanese learners get confused about giving an answer when being asked, especially about whether we use はい (yes) / いいえ (no) to answer.

 

And here’s a simple cheat sheet.

 

there is only a question particle か : Yes / No answer

 

これはスマホですか。

kore wa sumaho desu ka.

Is this a smartphone?

 

はい、スマホです。

hai, sumaho desu.

Yes, it is.

 

there are more than か : Free answer

 

これは何ですか。

kore wa nan desu ka.

What is this?

 

スマホです。

sumaho desu.

This is a smartphone.