other N4 common politewritten
どのような — what kind of ~
どのような
Builds on どんな
Meaning
- what kind of ~ / what sort of ~ — the formal, polite question word for asking about the nature of a noun
Key sentence
どのようなお仕事をお探しですか。
What kind of work are you looking for?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| どの + ような; precedes a noun | どのような + [noun] | どのような方法 |
When: Polite and formal — common in service, interviews, and writing. The casual spoken equivalent is どんな.
Examples
どのようなご用件でしょうか。
How may I help you? (What is your business?)
この薬にはどのような効果がありますか。
What kind of effect does this medicine have?
Easily confused with
See どのような in real sentences
Jengo shows どのような 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.