Japanese word

どんな

Pronunciation

Romajidonna

Meaning

  • pre-noun adjectivalwhat kind of

Example

どんな本を読みますか？do n na hon o yo mi ma su ka

What kind of books do you read?

Illustration for どんな (what kind of)

More examples

どんな本が好きですか？do n na hon ga su ki de su ka

What kind of book do you like?

先生はどんな音楽が好きですか。sen sei wa do n na on gaku ga su ki de su ka

What kind of music does your teacher like?

Core concept

どんな (donna) asks about the category, nature, or qualities of something named by the following noun.

Common phrases

  • どんな人do n na hito

    what kind of person

  • どんな本do n na hon

    what kind of book

  • どんな音楽do n na on gaku

    what kind of music

  • どんな食べ物do n na ta be mono

    what kind of food

Similar words

どういうdōiu: A question word placed before a noun to ask about its nature, type, or qualities.
何のnanno: A word placed before a noun to ask about its subject, purpose, or category.
どのdono: A question word placed before a noun to distinguish one option from other known options.

Definition in Japanese

後ろに名詞を伴い、人や物事の性質や種類などを尋ねる語。ushi ro ni mei shi o tomona i hito ya mono goto no sei shitsu ya shu rui na do o tazu ne ru go

Word origin

どんな (donna) is a shortened form of どのような (dono yō na), combining どの (dono, "which") with よう (yō, "manner or kind") before a noun.

Usage tips

  • どんな (donna) comes before a noun, so どんな映画 (donna eiga) asks what sort of movie it is, while 何 (nani) usually asks what thing it is.

Word lists with this word