Japanese phrase
___は何ですか？ ___ wa nan de su ka
Meaning
What is ___?
When to use it
Asks what an unfamiliar thing is. It is a polite question used when identifying an object or idea.
Example dialogue
これは何ですか？ ko re wa nan de su ka
What is this?
それは鍵です。 so re wa kagi de su
That is a key.