How to ask 'how' and 'why' in Japanese

[The7thSamurai]

After over a year of studying I still don't know how to ask 'how', 'what' and 'why' properly in Japanese. There are so many different variations of these three words, which seem to also overlap sometimes, that I never know what to use.

As far as I know, these are 'how' words:
- dou
- ~kata
- houhou
- douyatte
- nande
plus probably a heap more

These are 'why' words:
- naze
- doushite
- nande

And these are 'what' words:
- nani
- dou (as in 'dou shimasu ka')

Can someone point me somewhere that explains the difference between these words and when you should/shouldn't use them, as well as let me know of others that I've missed.

Cheers!

 

[Davey]

Well something that I don't understand either is that Nande is why, but also how.... Confused too.!

 

[JimmySeal]

Both nande and doushite can mean both why and how. This led to a very frustrating conversation a while back. When in doubt, use naze. There's no mistaking that.

Aside from that though, naze is very polite, doushite is fine for most situations, and nande is somewhat informal.

 

[Tensai Bakabon]

After over a year of studying I still don't know how to ask 'how', 'what' and 'why' properly in Japanese. There are so many different variations of these three words, which seem to also overlap sometimes, that I never know what to use.
As far as I know, these are 'how' words:
- dou
- ~kata
- houhou
- douyatte
- nande

"How" is often translated as dou yatte
Dou yatte kakimasu ka = "How do you write it?"
A more polite version of dou yatte is dono you ni shite.
You can also say Dou kakimasu ka

And these are 'what' words:
- nani
- dou (as in 'dou shimasu ka')

Dou isn't a "what" word.

 

[yukio_michael]

如何して (adv,int) (uk) why?; for what reason; how; in what way; for what purpose; what for; (P)

but is it related somehow to・・・・

どうした(の） (adj-pn) what's the matter?; what's wrong?

 

[Elizabeth]

"How" is often translated as dou yatte
Dou yatte kakimasu ka = "How do you write it?"
A more polite version of dou yatte is dono you ni shite.
You can also say Dou kakimasu ka
Dou isn't a "what" word.

Dou yatte kakimasuka? I would think first they are asking my technique or methods used in writing ; dou kakimasuka ? how to draw a character or the appropriate kanji.

Houhou isn't really a how word either....Some practical examples of where you're having trouble in getting around every day would be easier to deal with.

 

[Elizabeth]

Dou isn't a "what" word.

Dou is often translated as what in English....Dou omoimasuka ? Dou ni narundesuka ? Dou shimashouka? etc etc.

 

[Tensai Bakabon]

Dou is often translated as what in English....Dou omoimasuka ? Dou ni narundesuka ? Dou shimashouka? etc etc.

I'm sorry but I don't really understand dou ni naru n desu ka on its own without some kind of context. Dou may be translated as "what" in some contexts, but it really isn't a close equivalent of "what": you can't say "What is your brother's name?" or "What kind of ice-cream do you like?" using dou. It is more of a "how" word I suppose.

 

[Tensai Bakabon]

Dou yatte kakimasuka? I would think first they are asking my technique or methods used in writing ; dou kakimasuka ? how to draw a character or the appropriate kanji.
Houhou isn't really a how word either....Some practical examples of where you're having trouble in getting around every day would be easier to deal with.

There are some good examples of dou yatte in the Tanaka Corpus if you're interested.
"Houhou" and "kata" are both used like "how" in English: "How do I get to the station?" Eki e no ikikata oshiete kudasai or Eki e iku houhou oshiete kudasai. A lot of times "how" questions in English make sense as renyoukei of a verb + kata, or with "houhou", although I agree these aren't direct substitutes for English "how".

 

[Elizabeth]

I'm sorry but I don't really understand dou ni naru n desu ka on its own without some kind of context. kashii: Dou may be translated as "what" in some contexts, but it really isn't a close equivalent of "what": you can't say "What is your brother's name?" or "What kind of ice-cream do you like?" using dou. It is more of a "how" word I suppose.

Dou narun desuka to iitakatta desune. Gomen. 疲れてるせいもあるんですよ。


All of my dictionaries have both "what" and "how" type entries.

 

[Jagotaro]

After over a year of studying I still don't know how to ask 'how', 'what' and 'why' properly in Japanese. There are so many different variations of these three words, which seem to also overlap sometimes, that I never know what to use.
As far as I know, these are 'how' words:
- dou
- ﾂ〜kata
- houhou
- douyatte
- nande

Hey Bucko,

Maybe I can help. "dou" is usually used as in "(Ko-hi-) wa
dou desu ka?" How about some (coffee)? Substitute any
food or drink, for example. The short form "Ko-hi- wa dou?"
-- Same meaning exactly, only informal.

As you probably know, Verb (in -i form) + kata, For
example: "aruki-kata" Way of walking. This can be used
with most verbs.

Of course, hou-hou is method. Sometimes maybe rendered
as "way of ____-ing." "dou-yatte" is informal since yaru is
an informal form of "suru." So it would usually only be used
with close friends or family members.

A more appropriate form might be "dou iu fuu ni" + verb. For
example: "Dou iu fuu ni sureba ii n desu ka?" Literal, In what
manner should I do (it)? or How should I do (it)?

Example from Japanese website (see red text below) --
ミニブタなんでもコーナー
３０キロ前後になってしまうと聞きました が、実際ｃｍにするとどれくらい
になってしまうのでしょうか?また、家の中で飼うこと は可能ですかね?家の
中で飼う場合、トイレはどういうふうにすればいいんですか?

www1.ezbbs.net/17/mentyan/ - 64k - 2006年5月1日

"トイレはどういうふうにすればいいんですか?" In free style English,
we might say "How am I gonna go to the restroom?"

Nande, naze, and doushite are more or less interchangeable in
everyday speech. "Doushite" may be used most often, but the
other two are also common for "why?," meaning "what reason?"

Bucko, it is now 1:00 AM & I need to sleep now. I'll reply to the
others tomorrow, if possible.

I've been doing Japanese in my job for over 25 years now, so I
may be able to help you with your studies.

 

[Elizabeth]

www1.ezbbs.net/17/mentyan/ - 64k - 2006年5月1日
"トイレはどういうふうにすればいいんですか?" In free style English,
we might say "How am I gonna go to the restroom?"

In the case of humans, the clearest statement is "Toire no tskaikata wo oshiete kudasai." In the case of pets, this sounds to me like where is my pet going to go if I keep him in the house ? What kind of toilet should I make ?

 

[The7thSamurai]

Thanks for your replies everyone, I'll study them more later on today, especially yours Jagotaro.

Cheers!

 

[Jagotaro]

In the case of humans, the clearest statement is "Toire no tskaikata wo oshiete kudasai." In the case of pets, this sounds to me like where is my pet going to go if I keep him in the house ? What kind of toilet should I make ?

Elizabeth, maybe my post was confusing.

The "toire" phrase I cut & pasted from a Japanese website has nothing
to do with asking how to use the restroom. The meaning is basically,
"Hey, what will I do if I have to use the restroom?" kind of idea.

You know, that situation where there is no restroom anywhere around
and you start wondering what you'll do if you have to go.

I was merely illustrating an example of "Dou iu fuu ni sureba ii n desu ka"
to show the extreme simplicity of the Japanese sentence structure.

Anyway, right now I'm using a friends computer, and the Japanese input
has problems, so I'll resume later at home.

It's great to be on this forum with all you folks.

Cheers, Jagotaro.

 

[Elizabeth]

Elizabeth, maybe my post was confusing.
The "toire" phrase I cut & pasted from a Japanese website has nothing
to do with asking how to use the restroom. The meaning is basically,
"Hey, what will I do if I have to use the restroom?" kind of idea.

The site you quoted is dealing with raising pigs indoors, correct ?
I suppose that is where the confusion lies. In this case, perhaps more along the lines not if but roughly "what should I do about a toilet" or "how are they going to use a toilet inside" translation.

トイレに行きたい場合は、どうすればいいでしょうか？

 

[Jagotaro]

In the case of humans, the clearest statement is "Toire no tskaikata wo oshiete kudasai." In the case of pets, this sounds to me like where is my pet going to go if I keep him in the house ? What kind of toilet should I make ?

Hey, Elizabeth. That's great. I was so sleepy last night I pasted the wrong link. HA HA HA raising pigs indoors. That's beautiful. That will teach me to post when I'm so sleepy.

Later, Jagotaro.

 

[Tensai Bakabon]

The site you quoted is dealing with raising pigs indoors, correct ?
I suppose that is where the confusion lies. In this case, perhaps more along the lines not if but roughly "what should I do about a toilet" or "how are they going to use a toilet inside" translation.
トイレに行きたい場合は、どうすればいいでしょうか？

Raising pigs indoors sounds like a job. I make my dog go OUTSIDE the house, let alone a pig.

 

[Elizabeth]

Hey, Elizabeth. That's great. I was so sleepy last night I pasted the wrong link. HA HA HA raising pigs indoors. That's beautiful. That will teach me to post when I'm so sleepy.
Later, Jagotaro.

元の意味からはまったくかけ離れたものになってしまい ましたね。

でも、人間の場合でも、
「What am I going to do about the toilet ? How can I use this toilet」
みたいな意味で使える場合があるでしょう。

例えば、初めて、日本で、日本式のお手洗いを見たこと がない方は、
「トイレは、どうすればいいですか？」という風に言っ たら、なんとなく分かるでしょうね。

 

[Mike Cash]

Both nande and doushite can mean both why and how.

Since when?

This led to a very frustrating conversation a while back.

Please elaborate.

 

[JimmySeal]

Please elaborate.

I was talking to some friends a while ago. One had got a new game for her Nintendo DS that teaches English. I wanted to know why she had decided to start working on her English so I said "Nande Eigo wo benkyou shitemasuka" to which she replied "Kono ge-mu wo tsukatte." Feeling nonplussed, I asked "Doushite eigo wo benkyou shitemasuka" and got the same response, a little more insistent the second time. Finally I got around to using naze and the whole issue was resolved.

Recently, upon leaving a coffee shop, the same people asked me "Nande kita?" (how did you get here).


My dictionary's J-E entry for doushite shows:
①[どのようにして]
　how
　　どのようにして、どんな方法で
＞どうしてよいかわかりません
I don't know what to do.

 

[Glenn]

Is どうしてよいかわかりません an example sentence listed under どうして in the J-E dictionary? That looks like something different than the entry to me. Then again, in speech I guess you aren't really going to be able to tell whether it's どう+して or どうして.

 

[JimmySeal]

Yes, it's all the same dictionary entry.

As example sentences it gives:
どうしてわかったの
How did you find out?
どうして彼女と知り合ったのですか
How did you get acquainted with her?
彼女がまだ生きているとどうしてわかったのですか
How did you know she was still alive?
その箱をどうして開けたらいいのか困っている
I am in a puzzle as to how to open the box.

I always use どうやって to mean "how" rather than どうして because at least that way there's no confusing it with "why."

 

[Mike Cash]

Is どうしてよいかわかりません an example sentence listed under どうして in the J-E dictionary? That looks like something different than the entry to me. Then again, in speech I guess you aren't really going to be able to tell whether it's どう+して or どうして.

You're supposed to pronounce the "+".

 

[Glenn]

Oh, alright. That would explain those funny looks I keep getting.

 

[Elizabeth]

I was talking to some friends a while ago. One had got a new game for her Nintendo DS that teaches English. I wanted to know why she had decided to start working on her English so I said "Nande Eigo wo benkyou shitemasuka" to which she replied "Kono ge-mu wo tsukatte." Feeling nonplussed, I asked "Doushite eigo wo benkyou shitemasuka" and got the same response, a little more insistent the second time. Finally I got around to using naze and the whole issue was resolved.

I asked about this difference a while back and the reply would have been in this case your student is slightly atama ga okashii.

Eighty percent of the time doushite refers to "why", the other situations with "how" are slightly kudaketa, similar to "doyatte." Nande I can understand more her difficulty with.