How to Say ‘What are your hobbies?’ in Japanese
趣味は何ですか。
shumi wa nani desu ka
[shoo-mee wah nahn dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: [趣味は何ですか] literally “As for hobbies, what is it?” If you want to sound extra gentle: [趣味って何ですか？].
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is a standard “getting to know you” question in Japan—common in dating profiles and first meetups.
Phrase Breakdown
趣味
shumi
[shoo-mee]
hobby; interests
Sets the topic as “hobbies/interests,” a natural getting-to-know-you question.
趣味は何ですか。
What are your hobbies?
は
wa
[wah]
(topic marker) as for
Marks 趣味 as the topic: “As for hobbies, …”
趣味は何ですか。
What are your hobbies?
何ですか
nani desu ka
what is it?
Polite question: 「何」 (what) + 「です」 (polite copula) + 「か」 (question marker). Used to ask for identification/info.
お名前は何ですか。
What is your name?
Words in this phrase
何
nani
[nahn]
what
In this pattern, 何ですか asks for an identification/answer: “what is it?”
趣味は何ですか。
What are your hobbies?
です
desu
[dess]
is (polite)
Polite copula used before か in questions.
趣味は何ですか。
What are your hobbies?
か
ka
[kah]
question particle
Turns the sentence into a question; polite and standard.
趣味は何ですか。
What are your hobbies?
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