How to Say ‘What’ in Japanese
なに
nani
[nah-nee]
💬 Usage Tip: なに and なん both mean "what," but なに is the usual form before particles like を: なにをたべますか (What will you eat?). Before ですか, it usually changes to なん.
Phrase Breakdown
なに
nani
[nah-nee]
what
Question word meaning “what.” Common pattern: なにをしますか (What do you do?).
ひまなとき、なにをしますか。
When you have free time, what do you do?
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