How do you say "What is it like?" in Japanese?

"What is it like?" in Japanese is "はどんな感じですか". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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

Q: What does "はどんな感じですか" mean in English?

"はどんな感じですか" means "What is it like?" in English. Usage tip: [どんな感じですか] is a soft, natural way to ask "what is it like?" You can reuse it for lots of things: [味はどんな感じですか] or [店内はどんな感じですか].

はどんな感じですか

wa donna kanji desu ka

[wa donna kanji desu ka]

💬 Usage Tip: [どんな感じですか] is a soft, natural way to ask "what is it like?" You can reuse it for lots of things: [味はどんな感じですか] or [店内はどんな感じですか].

Phrase Breakdown

は

[wa]

topic marker

Marks the thing being asked about as the topic, here the aroma.

Example

香りはどんな感じですかと聞きます。

I ask, 'What is the aroma like?'

どんな

donna

[donna]

what kind of

Used to ask for the type, quality, or character of something.

Example

どんな感じですかと聞いて味を知ります。

I ask what it is like to learn about the taste.

感じ

kanji

[kanji]

feeling; impression

Here it means the overall impression or character.

Example

感じですかと聞くと香りの印象がわかります。

If you ask what it feels like, you can understand the aroma's impression.

です

desu

[desu]

is; polite copula

Polite copula used to form the question naturally.

Example

どんな感じですかのですでていねいです。

The 'desu' in 'donna kanji desu ka' makes it polite.

か

[ka]

question marker

Turns the phrase into a question.

Example

どんな感じですかのかで質問になります。

The 'ka' in 'donna kanji desu ka' makes it a question.

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