4.3 What is X?: Xは (wa) なん (nan) ですか (desu ka)

This module will introduce the simple yet powerful question: Xは何(なん)ですか (X wa nan desu ka).

Here is another useful sentence pattern to add to your toolkit:

Xは何ですか。

X wa nan desu ka.

What is X?

The word (なん: nan) functions as the question word, indicating ‘what’. By substituting ‘X’ with a specific noun or topic, this sentence pattern enables you to ask about unfamiliar objects or concepts.

 

Here is an example of how to use this sentence pattern in a conversation:

Anko in Dorayaki
Figure 1: Dorayaki

If you are unfamiliar with the word あんこ (anko), you can substitute X with 何 and ask:

あんこはですか。

Anko wa nan desu ka.

What is anko?

Anko is X.
あんこ X です。
Anko wa X desu.
What is anko?
あんこ ですか。
Anko wa nan desu ka

 

Another useful way to utilise this sentence pattern is to ask about how to say something in Japanese. Give the following pattern a try:

Xは日本語(にほんご)で何ですか。

X wa Nihongo de nan desu ka.

What is X in Japanese?

 

For example, if you want to ask how to say ‘English’ in Japanese, you can ask:

 

Wondering person
Figure 2: Wondering Person

「English」は日本語で何ですか。

‘English’ wa Nihongo de nan desu ka.

What is ‘English’ in Japanese?

 

Exercise 1

 

 

Figures

1 “Dorayaki” (untitled) by Ocdp. Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC 0.

2 “Wondering Person” (untitled) by Pavel Danilyuk. Pexels. Licensed under CC 0.

 

Licence

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Japanese Introductory 1 Copyright © 2024 by Iori Hamada is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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