How to Say ‘What kind of app is it?’ in Japanese
どんなアプリですか。
donna apuri desu ka
[dohn-nah ah-poo-ree dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: Polite and natural: [どんな] + noun + [ですか]. Good for interviews or meeting someone new.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Asking “what kind” instead of “what exactly” can feel less interrogative and more polite in Japanese.
Phrase Breakdown
どんなアプリ
donna apuri
what kind of app
Asks about the app’s features/purpose. Often answered with a description + 「アプリです」.
どんなアプリを使っていますか。
What kind of app are you using?
Words in this phrase
どんな
donna
[dohn-nah]
what kind of; what sort of
Used to ask for a description or category: “What kind of … is it?”
それはどんなアプリですか。
What kind of app is that?
アプリ
apuri
[ah-poo-ree]
app; application
A casual noun; with ですか it becomes a polite question about the app.
このアプリは有名です。
This app is famous.
です
desu
[dess]
to be (polite copula); is/are (polite)
Makes the sentence polite; connects “app” with its description.
便利です。
It’s convenient.
か
ka
[kah]
question marker; indicates a question
Placed at the end to turn the sentence into a polite question.
大丈夫ですか。
Are you okay?
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