Question words 何, 誰, どこ, いつ

何・誰・どこ・いつ nani / nan, dare, doko, itsu What, who, where, when

何 (what), 誰 (who), どこ (where) and いつ (when) go where the answer goes. English moves the question word to the front.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Sentence basics
English links: wh- questions, word order, auxiliary do

What it means

Japanese question words stay where the answer would be. これはペンです (This is a pen) becomes これは何ですか (What is this?). You put 何 in the place of ペン and add か. Nothing else moves.

何 has two readings. Before です, の and counter words it is なん: 何ですか. In most other places it is なに: 何を食べましたか. If you are not sure, なん before です is the one you will use most.

誰 means "who". It is a little direct about a person you are talking to or about, so polite speech uses どなた: どなたですか. どこ is "where" and いつ is "when".

One small rule: a question word cannot be the topic, so it does not take は. "Who came?" is 誰が来ましたか, with が. For English teachers, the big point is word order: our students never had to move a question word before.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
A は何ですか A wa nan desu ka	What is A? 何 is read なん before です.
A は誰ですか A wa dare desu ka	Who is A? The polite form is どなたですか.
A はどこですか A wa doko desu ka	Where is A?
A はいつですか A wa itsu desu ka	When is A?

Examples

これは何ですか。 kore wa nan desu ka. What is this?
あの人は誰ですか。 ano hito wa dare desu ka. Who is that person?
トイレはどこですか。 toire wa doko desu ka. Where is the toilet?
運動会はいつですか。 undoukai wa itsu desu ka. When is sports day?
昼ご飯に何を食べましたか。 hirugohan ni nani o tabemashita ka. What did you eat for lunch?

How English says it

English moves the question word to the front. "This is a pen" becomes "What is this?". With "be", the verb comes next, before the subject: "Where is the toilet?".

With other verbs, English adds do, does or did: "What did you eat?", "Where do you live?". Japanese has nothing like this. The only time English does not add "do" is when the question word is the subject: "Who came?", not "Who did come?".

Why it can make English hard

Japanese leaves the question word in place, so some learners do the same: "This is what?" or "You ate what?".
Do, does and did have no Japanese match. "Where you live?" and "What you like?" are very common, even at high school.
Once students learn "do", some use it everywhere, even when the question word is the subject: "Who did come?".

Mistakes you will hear

This is what? What is this? The Japanese order, これは何ですか. The question word moves to the front in English.
Where you live? Where do you live? どこに住んでいますか has no "do". English needs it.
When your birthday is? When is your birthday? The student moves "when" but not "is". With "be", both go before the subject.
Who did come? Who came? "Who" is the subject here, so there is no "did".

In the classroom

Write an answer on the board: "Sports day is in October." Students make the question. Then cover "in October" with a card that says "When" and slide it to the front. The movement is easy to see.
Make a question word grid: what, who, where, when across the top, is and do down the side. Students roll a dice for each and make a question for a partner.
Do a "find someone who" class survey with question words. Students must ask full questions: "Where do you live?", "When is your birthday?".

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: トイレは＿ですか。 (Where is the toilet?)

Answer: どこ

どこ means "where", and it goes where the answer would go.
2. Fill the gap: あの人は＿ですか。 (Who is that person?)

Answer: 誰 (だれ)

誰 means "who". For a polite question, use どなた.
3. How do you read 何 in これは何ですか？

Answer: なん (nan)

Before です, 何 is read なん.
4. A student writes "What you did yesterday?" Fix it.

Answer: What did you do yesterday?

English needs "did" before the subject, and the main verb goes back to "do".
5. Translate: 誕生日はいつですか。

Answer: When is your birthday?

The question word goes first, then "is", then the subject.