Why / For what reason – Asking for reasons politely
JLPT N5 文法 どうして 解説
⏱️ Study time: 5–7 minutes
Master どうして in 5–7 minutes. Learn how to ask "why" politely in Japanese — a must-know for understanding reasons, explanations, and the JLPT N5 listening section.
🚀 Quick JLPT N5 Warm-up Quiz
Q1: "Why didn't you come yesterday?" Which is correct? A. どうして昨日来ませんでしたか B. どうやって昨日来ませんでしたか
Answer: A (どうして asks "why"; どうやって asks "by what means")
Quick Summary
Grammar Point どうして
Meaning Why / For what reason
Usage どうして + Verb / Adjective どうしてですか (Why?)
Example どうして昨日休みましたか。どうしてきのうやすみましたか。Doushite kinou yasumimashita ka. Why did you take a day off yesterday?
💡 Switch to Hiragana only or Rōmaji if you're just starting out.
What is どうして?
どうして is a question word meaning “why” or “for what reason”. It is the polite, standard way to ask for a reason in Japanese. It's used in formal and neutral situations, unlike the more casual なんで or literary なぜ.
どうして + Verb/Adj + か — Why did you / Why is it?
どうしてですか — A polite standalone "Why?"
どうして？ — Casual/short form.
理由を聞くときの一番標準的な言い方です。りゆうをきくときのいちばんひょうじゅんてきないいかたです。Riyū o kiku toki no ichiban hyōjun-teki na iikata desu.
How to Pronounce
どうして： do u shi te (the "u" is slightly elongated)
どうしてですか / どうして来なかったの？
Examples & Mini Dialogue
どうして昨日休みましたか。どうしてきのうやすみましたか。Doushite kinou yasumimashita ka. Why did you take a day off yesterday? (どうして + polite past verb)
Answer: 頭が痛かったからです (Because I had a headache).
どうして日本語を勉強していますか。どうしてにほんごをべんきょうしていますか。Doushite nihongo o benkyou shiteimasu ka. Why are you studying Japanese? (どうして + progressive)
Common question in introductions.
どうしてですか。どうしてですか。Doushite desu ka. Why? (politely) (standalone question)
The safest way to ask "why" in any polite situation.
🗣️ Mini Dialogue
A: 明日のパーティーに来ません。あしたのパーティーにきません。Ashita no pātī ni kimasen.
B: どうしてですか。どうしてですか。Doushite desu ka.
When to Use in Real Japan
Asking for reasons politely: どうして遅刻しましたか？
In interviews/inquiries: どうしてこの会社を選びましたか？
Expressing curiosity: どうして猫が好きなんですか？
⚡ どうして vs なぜ vs なんで: Levels of Politeness
Japanese has several ways to say "why", each with a different nuance. どうして is the safest, most neutral polite form.
Word
Politeness
Nuance
なんで
Casual
Everyday "why" among friends; can sound blunt
どうして
Neutral/Polite
Safe for most situations, standard polite
なぜ
Formal/Literary
Used in writing, formal speeches, news
⚠️ JLPT Trap: In N5 listening, どうして is by far the most common "why" word. If you hear なんで, the speaker is casual. If you hear なぜ, it's formal.
Common Mistakes
✕ どうして行きましたか (asking method)
✓ どうやって行きましたか (by what means) (どうして asks for a reason, not method)
This lesson is taught by Anup Sensei, an experienced Japanese language instructor at Gogaku Language & Training Center in Pokhara. He has studied and worked in Japan and specializes in practical JLPT preparation and real-life communication skills.
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