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How to Say ‘What is it like?’ in Japanese

どんな感じですか。

donna kanji desu ka

[dohn-nah kahn-jee dess kah]

💬 Usage Tip: どんな is used before nouns, so どんな感じ literally means "what kind of feeling/what kind of vibe." Japanese often uses 感じ where English would say "what is it like?"

Phrase Breakdown

どんな

donna

[dohn-nah]

what kind of

Used to ask for the type or nature of something.

Example

どんな感じですかと質問してみました。

I tried asking, 'What is it like?'

感じ

kanji

[kahn-jee]

feeling; impression; sense

Often used to ask about the general vibe or impression of something.

Example

職場はどんな感じですか。

What is the workplace like?

です

desu

[dess]

is; polite copula

Standard polite form used in questions and statements.

Example

どんな感じですかと丁寧に聞けます。

You can politely ask, 'What is it like?'

か

[kah]

question marker

Turns the sentence into a question.

Example

雰囲気はどんな感じですか。

What is the atmosphere like?

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