English–Japanese
“why” in Japanese
How to say “why” in Japanese
“Why” in Japanese is なぜ (naze).
Asks for the reason or cause behind an action, event, or situation.
Example sentences with なぜ
なぜりんごを食べますか？na ze ri n go o ta be ma su ka
Why do you eat apples?
今日はなぜか早く目が覚めました。kyō wa na ze ka haya ku me ga sa me ma shi ta
For some reason, I woke up early today.
Tips for using なぜ
- In everyday conversation, どうして (dōshite) often sounds softer than なぜ (naze), while なぜ is common in written explanations and direct questions.
Other Japanese words for “why”
どうして日本語を勉強しますか。dō shi te nihon go o ben kyō shi ma su ka
Why do you study Japanese?
なんでそんなに早く帰りますか？na n de so n na ni haya ku kae ri ma su ka
Why are you going home so early?