Mondai is the Japanese word for ‘problem’, explained

What does “mondai” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “mondai” basically to mean ‘problem’ in Japanese. Probably, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is often used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “mondai” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “mondai”
• Mondai in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “do you have any problem?” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “mondai”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “mondai”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “mondai”.

• mondai – 問題 (もんだい) : a noun meaning ‘problem’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can mean ‘issue’, ‘question’, ‘difficulty’, or ‘trouble’ as well. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers normally use this noun to mean ‘problem’ or ‘problems’ in Japanese. In Japanese textbooks, however, this word is often used to mean ‘question’ or ‘questions’. I think, therefore, Japanese learners may know this noun as a word referring to questions.

The definition and meanings are not so difficult. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Mondai in kanji

The kanji expression of “mondai” consists of the following two characters:

• 問 : a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to the act of asking or questioning.
• 題 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘theme’ or ‘subject’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “mondai” literally means ‘asked theme’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. “Asked theme” can be interpreted as ‘problem’ or ‘question’.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “mondai” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “mondai” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “do you have any problem?” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• nani – 何 (なに) : an indefinite demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘what’ in Japanese. This is often used in Japanese what questions.
• ka – か : an adverbial particle used to express uncertainty. In the example, this is used after “nani” to express the uncertainty.
• 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 example, this is used after “mondai” to make it sound polite.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. Normally, this is used with the pitch raised. As the grammatical definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question.

This is a typical usage of “mondai”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, “nani ka mondai desu ka”, which means ‘do you have any problem?’, ‘is there any problem?’, or such in Japanese. When we want to say “problem” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “mondai”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something is. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “watashi no kuruma”, to say where the problem is.
• 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 “mondai” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• ari – あり : one conjugation of the verb, “aru”, which means ‘to be’, ‘to exist’, or ‘to present’ in Japanese. Normally, this expresses the existence of things. In the example, actually, this works to express the existence of “mondai”.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “ari” to make it sound polite.

This is another typical usage of “mondai”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “mondai ga aru”, which literally means ‘there is a problem’ in Japanese. This expression is worth knowing.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mondai” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• mondai – 問題 (もんだい) : a noun meaning ‘problem’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can mean ‘issue’, ‘question’, ‘difficulty’, or ‘trouble’ as well. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘asked theme’. This kanji concept can be interpreted as ‘problem’ or ‘question’, I think.
• nani ka mondai desu ka – 何か問題ですか (なにかもんだいですか) : a Japanese phrase for ‘do you have any problem?’, ‘is there any problem?’, or such.
• mondai ga aru – 問題がある (もんだいがある) : a Japanese expression for ‘there is a problem’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.