Japanese for Daily Life in Japan｜Beginner Practical Course

UNIT 2
Self-Introduction & Personal Information

Lesson 4: Asking Simple Questions About Others
かんたんなしつもん — Simple Personal Questions

⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading

Before You Start

You can already talk about yourself in Japanese. Now it’s time to ask about others. In this lesson, you’ll learn the most useful personal questions — name, country, job, and more — so you can have a real two-way conversation.

What you’ll learn:

Ask someone’s name — お名前は何ですか
Ask where someone is from — どちらの出身ですか
Ask where someone lives — どこに住んでいますか
Ask someone’s job — お仕事は何ですか
Ask about family — 家族は何人ですか
Know which questions are personal and require care

1. Key Phrases ／きほんのフレーズ

お名前は何ですか。

Onamae wa nan desu ka.

What is your name?

どちらの出身ですか。

Dochira no shusshin desu ka.

Where are you from? (polite)

どこに住んでいますか。

Doko ni sunde imasu ka.

Where do you live?

お仕事は何ですか。

Oshigoto wa nan desu ka.

What is your job?

家族は何人ですか。

Kazoku wa nan nin desu ka.

How many people are in your family?

子どもがいますか。

Kodomo ga imasu ka.

Do you have children?

結婚していますか。

Kekkon shite imasu ka.

Are you married?

2. Useful Question Words ／しつもんのことば

These are the most useful question words. Remember these three first: 何 / どこ / 何人

Japanese	Romaji	English
何	nani / nan	what
どこ	doko	where
どちら	dochira	where / which (polite)
だれ	dare	who
何人	nan nin / nanijin	how many people / what nationality
何歳	nan sai	how old
いつ	itsu	when

3. Phrase Notes ／ポイント

① お名前 vs 名前

The prefix お makes 名前 polite. Always use お名前は何ですか when asking someone you’ve just met or someone in a formal setting. 名前は？ is only for close friends.

② どちらの出身 vs どこから来た

どちらの出身ですか is polite. どこから来ましたか is also natural. Both are correct — use どちらの出身ですか when you want to sound more respectful.

③ Questions to use carefully

Some questions are personal. Use them only when you know the person well or in an appropriate context:

• 何歳ですか (How old are you?) — can be personal

• 結婚していますか (Are you married?) — personal

• 住所は何ですか (What is your address?) — very personal

Safe questions for anyone: お名前・どちらの出身・お仕事・今どこに住んでいますか

⚠️ Common Mistake
Don’t confuse 家族は何人ですか (How many people are in your family?) and 何人ですか (What nationality are you? / How many people?) in a restaurant. The context always makes the meaning clear.

4. Safe & Careful Questions ／しつもんのマナー

✅ Safe to ask anyone	⚠️ Use with care
お名前は何ですか。	何歳ですか。
どちらの出身ですか。	結婚していますか。
お仕事は何ですか。	住所は何ですか。
今、日本に住んでいますか。	電話番号は何ですか。

💡 For beginners, stick to the ✅ safe questions. They are natural and will never feel rude.

5. Conversation Practice ／かいわ

💬 Conversation 1 — Name and Country

Aお名前は何ですか。What is your name?

Bマリアです。I am Maria.

Aどこから来ましたか。Where did you come from?

Bフィリピンから来ました。I came from the Philippines.

💬 Conversation 2 — Job and Workplace

Aお仕事は何ですか。What is your job?

B会社員です。I am a company employee.

Aどこで働いていますか。Where do you work?

Bホテルで働いています。I work at a hotel.

💬 Conversation 3 — Where You Live

A今、どこに住んでいますか。Where do you live now?

B名古屋に住んでいます。I live in Nagoya.

A名古屋ですか。Nagoya?

Bはい、そうです。Yes, that’s right.

💬 Conversation 4 — Full Introduction

Aお名前は何ですか。What is your name?

Bジョンです。I am John.

Aどちらの出身ですか。Where are you from?

Bアメリカ出身です。I am from America.

Aお仕事は何ですか。What is your job?

Bエンジニアです。I am an engineer.

Aよろしくお願いします。Nice to meet you.

Bよろしくお願いします。Nice to meet you.

6. Vocabulary ／たんご

Japanese	Romaji	English
質問	shitsumon	question
家族	kazoku	family
子ども	kodomo	child / children
結婚	kekkon	marriage
独身	dokushin	single / unmarried
住んでいます	sunde imasu	live / am living
教えてください	oshiete kudasai	please tell me
何人	nan nin	how many people
何歳	nan sai	how old
そうですか	soo desu ka	I see. / Is that so?

7. Check Your Understanding ／クイズ

Think about each question first. The answer and explanation are shown below each one.

Q1. How do you ask “What is your name?” politely?

A. お名前は何ですか。 B. お仕事は何ですか。 C. どこに住んでいますか。

Answer: A
お名前 = name (polite). は何ですか = what is? Together: “What is your name?”

Q2. How do you ask “Where are you from?” politely?

A. どちらの出身ですか。 B. 家族は何人ですか。 C. 電話番号は何ですか。

Answer: A
どちら is the polite form of どこ. どちらの出身ですか is the most polite way to ask someone’s origin.

Q3. How do you ask “Where do you live?”

A. どこに住んでいますか。 B. どこから来ましたか。 C. 何人ですか。

Answer: A
どこに住んでいますか = “Where do you live?” に marks the location. どこから来ましたか asks where you came FROM — a different question.

8. Match the Question ／れんしゅう

Match each Japanese question with its correct English meaning.

お名前は何ですか。 → ______

どこから来ましたか。 → ______

お仕事は何ですか。 → ______

どこに住んでいますか。 → ______

家族は何人ですか。 → ______

Choices: A. What is your job? B. Where do you live? C. What is your name? D. How many people are in your family? E. Where did you come from?

Answers: お名前は何ですか = C ／どこから来ましたか = E ／お仕事は何ですか = A ／どこに住んでいますか = B ／家族は何人ですか = D

9. Choose the Best Response ／れんしゅう

Choose the best response for each situation. Answers are shown below.

Q1. Someone asks, 「お名前は何ですか。」

A. マリアです。 B. フィリピンから来ました。 C. 名古屋に住んでいます。

Answer: A
When asked your name, reply with your name: 〇〇です or 〇〇と申します (formal).

Q2. Someone asks, 「どちらの出身ですか。」

A. インド出身です。 B. 会社員です。 C. 家族は4人です。

Answer: A
When asked “Where are you from?” reply with 〇〇出身です or 〇〇から来ました.

Q3. Someone asks, 「お仕事は何ですか。」

A. エンジニアです。 B. 韓国から来ました。 C. 30歳です。

Answer: A
When asked “What is your job?” reply with your job using 〇〇です.

🚀 Mini Mission

Today’s mission: Ask and answer three personal questions in Japanese.

Ask your teacher or practice partner:

お名前は何ですか。→ ＿＿＿＿＿です。
どちらの出身ですか。→ ＿＿＿＿＿出身です。
お仕事は何ですか。→ ＿＿＿＿＿です。

Then switch roles — answer the same three questions yourself.

📘 Review ／まとめ

In this lesson, you learned how to ask simple personal questions in Japanese. The three most important questions are:

お名前は何ですか。(What is your name?)
どちらの出身ですか。(Where are you from?)
お仕事は何ですか。(What is your job?)

💡 Use お名前 and お仕事 with the polite prefix お. Use どちらの出身ですか to ask where someone is from politely. Be careful with personal questions like age, marriage, address, and phone number.

FAQ

Q. Is it rude to ask someone’s age in Japan?

Asking age (何歳ですか) can feel a bit personal, especially with women or in a formal setting. A safer approach is to wait for the person to share it voluntarily, or to ask a softer question like おいくつですか (the very polite form). For beginners, simply skip the age question unless you know the person well.

Q. What if someone asks me a question I don’t want to answer?

You can politely change the subject or give a vague answer. For example, if asked your age, you can smile and say ないしょです (it’s a secret) — it’s light-hearted and most Japanese people will understand.

Q. What’s the natural order of questions in a Japanese introduction?

A natural flow: name → country/origin → job → where you live now. This covers everything most people want to know in a first meeting. You don’t need to cover all four — even just name + country is a complete introduction for beginners.

🌸 Practice with a real teacher

Want to Practice with a Teacher?

The best way to practice asking and answering personal questions is in a real conversation. Practice with a professional teacher — start with a free trial lesson and try a full self-introduction today.

Book a Free Trial Lesson →

Online or in-person — both available on request.

Lesson 4: Asking Simple Questions About Others かんたんな しつもん — Simple Personal Questions

Before You Start

1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ

2. Useful Question Words ／ しつもんのことば

3. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント

4. Safe & Careful Questions ／ しつもんのマナー

5. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ