other N5 common casualpolitewritten
どんな — what kind of ~
どんな
Meaning
- what kind of ~ / what sort of ~ — asks about the nature or quality of a noun
Key sentence
どんな音楽が好きですか。
What kind of music do you like?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (adnominal) | どんな + N | どんな人 (what kind of person) |
Examples
日本でどんな所に行きたいですか。
What kind of places do you want to visit in Japan?
彼はどんな性格ですか。
What's his personality like?
When you can't use it
- どんな always comes directly before a noun (どんな本 = what kind of book). To ask 'how' about an action or state, use どう, which stands before a verb or with です.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Part of the こんな / そんな / あんな / どんな series (this / that / that-over-there / what kind of).
See どんな in real sentences
Jengo shows どんな the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.