どんな: Asking 'What Kind Of' in Japanese (Meaning + Examples)
What it means
どんな asks what kind or what type of something. You use it when you want a description, not just a yes/no answer or a specific name. The key rule: どんな always attaches to a noun that follows it — どんな映画 ("what kind of movie"), どんな仕事 ("what kind of job"). Think of it as one piece glued to its noun.
ヤッタンはどんな音楽が好きですか。
ヤッタンは どんな おんがくが すきですか。
What kind of music does Yattan like?
モチはどんな人ですか。
モチは どんな ひとですか。
What kind of person is Mochi?
先生、これはどんな本ですか。
せんせい、これは どんな ほんですか。
Teacher, what kind of book is this?
How to form it
There's nothing to conjugate — just place どんな directly in front of the noun. It works the same whether the sentence is polite or casual.
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| どんな + NOUN | どんな映画 | what kind of movie |
| どんな + NOUN + が… | どんな食べ物が好き？ | what kind of food do you like? |
| どんな + NOUN + ですか | どんな町ですか | what kind of town is it? |
| どんな + NOUN + でも | どんな問題でも | any problem at all |
The こ・そ・あ・ど set
どんな is the "question" member of a four-word family. The others point to a kind of thing the way これ・それ・あれ point to objects. Like どんな, all four must be followed by a noun.
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| こんな | this kind of (near me) | こんな店 = a shop like this |
| そんな | that kind of (near you) | そんな話 = that kind of story |
| あんな | that kind of (over there / we both know) | あんな車 = a car like that |
| どんな | what kind of (question) | どんな店？ = what kind of shop? |
ヤッタンはこんな天気が大好きです。
ヤッタンは こんな てんきが だいすきです。
Yattan loves this kind of weather.
そんな映画は見たくない。
そんな えいがは みたくない。
I don't want to watch that kind of movie.
どんな vs どう
This is the trap. Both can translate as "how/what," but they work differently:
- どんな must grab a noun: どんな人ですか ("what kind of person is it?").
- どう stands alone before a verb or です and asks "how / how about": 元気はどう？ ("how are you doing?"), この映画はどうだった？ ("how was this movie?").
So you cannot say ✗ どんなですか with nothing after it, and you cannot say ✗ どう人. If a noun follows, reach for どんな; if not, reach for どう.
弟はどんなゲームをしていますか。
おとうとは どんな ゲームを して いますか。
What kind of game is the little brother playing?
A noun (ゲーム) follows, so どんな — not どう.
モチ、新しい学校はどう？
モチ、あたらしい がっこうは どう？
Mochi, how's the new school?
No noun after it, so どう stands alone.
どんな〜でも — "any ~ at all"
Add でも after the noun and どんな flips from a question into "any ~ at all" / "no matter what kind of ~." It often pairs with something you can do.
ヤッタンはどんな問題でも解ける。
ヤッタンは どんな もんだいでも とける。
Yattan can solve any problem at all.
どんな食べ物でも大丈夫です。
どんな たべものでも だいじょうぶです。
Any kind of food is fine.
先生はどんな質問でも答えてくれる。
せんせいは どんな しつもんでも こたえて くれる。
The teacher will answer any question at all.
Common mistakes
- Letting どんな stand alone. It always needs a noun: ✗ これはどんなですか → ✓ これはどんな本ですか, or switch to ✓ これはどう？
- Using どんな where you mean どう. "How was the trip?" is 旅行はどうだった (no noun follows), not どんなだった.
- Forgetting the noun in the こ・そ・あ・ど set. こんな・そんな・あんな・どんな all need a following noun, just like どんな: ✓ そんなこと ("that kind of thing").
- Dropping でも in the "any" pattern. "Any question is fine" needs でも: どんな質問でもいいです, not どんな質問いいです.
Quick recap
- どんな + NOUN = "what kind of ~": どんな音楽, どんな人.
- It never stands alone — a noun must follow.
- Family: こんな・そんな・あんな・どんな (this / that / that / what kind), all noun-attaching.
- Use どう (not どんな) when no noun follows: この映画はどう？
- どんな〜でも = "any ~ at all": どんな問題でも解ける.
Your turn
Choose どんな, どう, or the right こ・そ・あ・ど word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between どんな and どう?
どんな must be followed by a noun and means 'what kind of ~': どんな人ですか. どう stands alone before a verb or です and means 'how / how about': この映画はどう？ If a noun follows, use どんな; if not, use どう.
Can どんな ever stand on its own?
No. Unlike どう, どんな always needs a noun right after it. To ask 'how is it?' with nothing following, use どう, not どんな.
What are こんな, そんな, and あんな?
They are the statement members of the same family: こんな = this kind of (near me), そんな = that kind of (near you), あんな = that kind of (away from both). Like どんな, each must be followed by a noun.
What does どんな〜でも mean?
Adding でも after the noun turns どんな into 'any ~ at all': どんな問題でも解ける ('can solve any problem at all'). It means 'no matter what kind of ~.'