Kore wa nan desu ka – asking ‘what is this?’ in Japanese

What does “kore wa nan desu ka” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kore wa nan desu ka” to mean ‘what is this?’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this phrase as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this phrase in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand this useful phrase more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “kore wa nan desu ka”
• What does “kore wa nan desu ka” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “what is this?” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “kore wa nan desu ka”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “kore wa nan desu ka”

Let me start with the definition and meaning as follows:

• kore wa nan desu ka – これは何ですか (これはなんですか) : a Japanese phrase meaning ‘what is this?’

Native speakers use this phrase to ask what a thing physically close to them is in Japanese. So, this can work in more or less the same way as the English what question, “what is this?”, does.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

What does “kore wa nan desu ka” literally mean in Japanese?

The phrase consists of the following five components:

• kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to something close to the speaker. This is often translated into English as “this”. Indeed, this works to mean ‘this’ in the phrase.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the phrase, this works after “kore” to make the subject word.
• nan – 何 (なん) : an interrogative pronoun meaning ‘what’ in Japanese. This is sometimes used in Japanese what questions. The role of this pronoun is similar to that of “what” in English, but this does not necessarily come to the beginning of a sentence.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the phrase, this is used after “nan” to make it sound polite.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. This is often used with the pitch raised. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the phrase to make the question.

From these five components, we can understand that the formed phrase is literally a Japanese polite what question. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but its meaning can literally be understood as ‘what is this?’

When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about the meanings of the phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kore wa nan desu ka” through the detailed check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “what is this?” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• sumimasen – すみません : a Japanese phrase for ‘excuse me’, ‘sorry’, or such.
• ga – が : a conjunction used to join two phrases or sentences which have different or opposite meanings. This is often translated into English as “but”, “however”, or such. In the example, this follows “sumimasen” to say “excuse me, but” in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what she said.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “kore wa nan desu ka”. In this example, it works together with “sumimasen” and “ga” to mean ‘excuse me, but what is this?’ in Japanese. Japanese native speakers always try to be polite, so they often say “sumimasen ga” before the Japanese what question. It’s worth knowing, I think.

Example #2: another usage of “kore wa nan desu ka”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• shira – 知ら (しら) : one conjugation of the verb, “shiru”, which means ‘to know’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese nai form. In the example, this is used after “shira” to deny its meaning.

This is another typical usage of the phrase. In this example, it works alone and just means ‘what is this?’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘what is this?’ in Japanese, anyway, this phrase is always a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “kore wa nan desu ka” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kore wa nan desu ka – これは何ですか (これはなんですか) : a Japanese phrase meaning ‘what is this?’ Native speakers use this to ask what a thing physically close to them is in Japanese. So, this can work in more or less the same way as the English what question, “what is this?”, does. From the grammatical components, we can understand that this phrase is literally a Japanese polite what question. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the meaning can literally be understood as ‘what is this?’

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.