Grammar › Core Patterns
どんな — “what kind of…?”
Asking for a description: どんな音楽が好きですか — what kind of music do you like?
どんな attaches directly before a noun to ask what kind or type of thing it is — a single, simple question word that opens up a huge range of everyday conversation about tastes and preferences.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| どんな + noun + ですか | どんな映画が好きですか — what kind of movies do you like? |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| どんな音楽が好きですか。 | どんなおんがくがすきですか。 donnaongakugasukidesuka。 | What kind of music do you like? |
| どんな人が理想のパートナーですか。 | どんなひとがりそうのぱーとなーですか。 donnahitogarisounopa-tona-desuka。 | What kind of person is your ideal partner? |
| 東京はどんな街ですか。 | とうきょうはどんなまちですか。 toukyouhadonnamachidesuka。 | What kind of city is Tokyo? |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
どんな always needs a noun right after it (どんな音楽) — on its own, without a following noun, it isn't a complete question the way どう (“how”) can be.