どんな
🃏 Flashcard
どんな
donna
Tap to reveal usage
what kind of; what sort of
N5
Tap to test your recall · +10 XP
📊 Pattern Stats
JLPT Level
N5
Beginner · Basic sentence structures
Reading
donna
Post ID
50609
Patterns today
0
0 / 10 daily goal
📝 Usage Notes
what kind of; what sort of
📖 How to use it
Asks about the kind or type of something, like English 'what kind of'.
Attaches to
Attaches directly before a noun, with no particle in between. The noun can be followed by any particle.
Use どんな to ask about the category, nature, or characteristics of a person, thing, or event. It always precedes a noun, and the noun is the object of the question. Think of it as 'what kind of ~?' For example, if you want to know someone's taste in music, you'd ask どんな音楽が好きですか？
Note that どんな is different from どれ (which one) or どの (which + noun). どんな is about type, not choice. For instance, どんな本ですか？ asks what the book is like, not which book it is.
In conversation, どんな is common and neutral. You can answer with adjectives or descriptive phrases, such as おもしろい本です (it's an interesting book).
どんな音楽が好きですか。
Donna ongaku ga suki desu ka.
What kind of music do you like?
どんな映画を見ましたか。
Donna eiga o mimashita ka.
What kind of movie did you watch?
どんな人ですか。
Donna hito desu ka.
What kind of person is he/she?
Not どの
どの means 'which' and asks for a specific choice among known options, e.g., どの本があなたのですか？ In contrast, どんな asks about the general type or nature, e.g., どんな本が好きですか？
Register
Neutral and commonly used in both speech and writing; perfectly fine for everyday conversation.
🎯 Quick Quiz
What does this grammar pattern mean or do?
どんな
📚 How to Master This Pattern
Say It Aloud
Press Hear it and repeat どんな three times. Feel the rhythm — grammar patterns have a natural flow.
Flip Before Reading
Always try to recall the usage before flipping the card. Struggle = learning. Every failed recall makes the next one stick harder.
Write Two Sentences
Compose two original sentences using どんな. One about yourself, one about something you see right now.
Spaced Review
Save this pattern and revisit at 10 min, 1 day, 3 days. Production (writing) beats recognition for grammar.
🔗 More JLPT N5 Patterns
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does the grammar pattern どんな mean?
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What kind of; what sort of
What JLPT level is どんな?
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Nihoner currently groups this pattern under JLPT N5 — Beginner · Basic sentence structures. Use the level label as study guidance rather than a prediction of what will appear on an exam.
How do you use どんな in a sentence?
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Attach どんな (donna) to the appropriate verb or noun form as described in the usage notes. Then try writing two original sentences — one about yourself and one about something around you.
Is どんな formal or casual Japanese?
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どんな is used in both casual and polite contexts. It appears frequently in everyday conversation, textbooks, and simple written materials.
How can I remember どんな long-term?
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Use the flashcard on this page for active recall — see the pattern, reconstruct the usage from memory, then flip. Follow with the 4-choice quiz to distinguish it from similar patterns. Review later the same day and again over the following days. Writing original sentences can help you practise using the pattern in context.