How to Say ‘What can you do?’ in Japanese
どんなことができますか。
donna koto ga deki masu ka
[dohn-nah koh-toh gah deh-kee mah-su kah]
💬 Usage Tip: Literally: “What kinds of things can you do?” Great interview question for listing skills.
🇯🇵 In Japan: A good Japanese-style answer is short + specific: 2–3 items (e.g., [食事の介助], [移乗], [排泄介助]) and then one safety-minded comment.
Phrase Breakdown
どんな
donna
[dohn-nah]
what kind of; what sort of
Used to ask about types/kinds; commonly used by interviewers.
どんなことができますか、具体的に教えてください。
What kind of things can you do? Please tell me specifically.
こと
koto
[koh-toh]
thing; matter
In this question, どんなこと = “what kinds of tasks/abilities.”
介護でできることは多いです。
There are many things I can do in caregiving.
が
ga
[gah]
(subject marker)
Marks こと as what you are able to do: ことができます.
移乗介助ができます。
I can assist with transfers.
できます
deki masu
can do; be able to (polite)
Polite form of 「できる」. Used for ability/possibility. Common pattern: 「〜ができます」.
料理ができます。
I can cook.
Words in this phrase
でき
deki
[deh-kee]
can do (verb stem)
Stem used to form できます (polite).
清掃ができ ます。
I can do cleaning.
ます
masu
[mah-su]
(polite ending)
Makes the sentence polite: できます.
食事の介助ができます。
I can assist with meals.
か
ka
[kah]
(question marker)
Turns the sentence into a question: できますか。
夜勤ができますか。
Can you work night shifts?
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