Japanese question words: match the question to the missing information

Start with the type of answer

だれ asks about a person, どこ about a place and いつ about time. For 何, the reading and surrounding expression matter. Do not choose a question word merely because it is the one you studied most recently.

Take a statement and mark the part you do not know. Replacing that part is often easier than translating an entire English question. Keep the rest of the situation stable while you practise.

Ask three questions about one event

田中さんは明日、図書館へ行きます。says Tanaka will go to the library tomorrow. だれが図書館へ行きますか asks who goes. いつ図書館へ行きますか asks when. どこへ行きますか asks for the destination.

The answer changes because the missing information changes. A reply of 明日 fits the time question; it does not answer who goes. Check whether your answer is the right kind of information before checking its grammar.

Keep the particle attached to its role

Compare どこで勉強しますか with どこへ行きますか. The first asks where an activity happens; the second asks the destination. Learning both as simply “where” hides the role of the place in the sentence.

You do not need to explain every particle at once. Begin with this action and its missing element. When you learn a new pattern, save a complete question and a plausible answer together.

Build question-and-answer pairs

Write four statements with a person, time, place and object. Cover one detail at a time, ask for it in Japanese and answer from the original statement. Then change the statement and repeat.

If you choose the wrong type of question word, label the missing information in English or your stronger language. If the word is correct but the sentence is awkward, practise the sentence pattern separately.

Try it yourself

The reply is 来週です。Which asks for matching information: だれですか or いつですか?