Markdown lesson
How do you say "What is this?" in Japanese?
Use this in many everyday situations when you want to identify an item, form, sign, or message.
What is this?
内容確認
Use これ は なん ですか (kore wa nan desu ka) in many everyday situations when you want to identify an item, form, sign, or message. The core reusable pattern is `〜 は / なん ですか`.
Answer
Two layers, same practical line
これはなんですか
これ は / なん ですか
kore wa / nan desu ka
Lesson body
Rendered from one markdown file
Quick use
Use これ は なん ですか (kore wa nan desu ka) in many everyday situations when you want to identify an item, form, sign, or message. It is meant to be short, polite, and easy to say under pressure.
Chunk or pattern
- Base pattern:
〜 は / なん ですか - Swap the thing you want identified.
Helper words and endings
は: marks the topic. It often means "as for ..." rather than a strong English "is".ですか: is a polite question ending. Learn it as one ending even though it containsですandか.
Practical note
This is safer than pretending you understood. In real life, a quick meaning check often saves time and avoids a bigger misunderstanding later.