Meaning
Asks about the kind or quality of a thing.
Formation
- どんな always precedes a noun — どんな音楽が好きですか
When to use it
- Core use
- Asks about the kind or quality of a thing
Examples
14 sentences-
どんな音楽が好きですか
What kind of music do you like?
-
京都はどんな町ですか
What kind of city is Kyoto?
-
図書館でどんな本を借りましたか
What kind of book did you borrow from the library?
-
お父さんはどんな仕事をしていますか
What kind of work does your father do?
-
どんな映画をよく見ますか
What kind of films do you usually watch?
-
どんな料理を作りたいですか
What kind of dish do you want to make?
-
田中さんはどんな人ですか
What is Mr. Tanaka like?
-
どんな町に住んでいますか
What kind of town do you live in?
6 more examples
-
どんな仕事を探していますか
What kind of job are you looking for?
-
どんな本が子どもに人気ですか
What kind of books are popular with children?
-
どんなかばんが必要ですか
What kind of bag do you need?
-
どんなスポーツが得意ですか
What kind of sports are you good at?
-
どんなお土産を買いましたか
What kind of souvenirs did you buy?
-
どんな音がしましたか
What kind of sound did you hear?
Important notes
- どんな always comes before a noun and asks about its kind or quality: どんな音楽が好きですか. The answer describes the noun: 静かな音楽です.
Common mistakes
- Do not use どんな alone at the end: 'how is it?' is どうですか, not どんなですか.
Check yourself
Pick the translation of each sentence. The wrong options translate similar patterns, so watch the grammar rather than the words.
Similar grammar
Hear it in podcasts
The pattern appears in these episodes. They open in the app with the transcript and translation.
The trainer requires a free account. Examples and practice questions on this page are available without signing up.