JLPT N5 Grammar: だれ (dare) — “Who” Question Word

JLPT N5 Grammar: だれ (dare)

Q: Can I use だれ with います?

Yes. だれがいますか means 'Who is there?' (asking about the existence of a person in a place).

The question word “who” — asking about people

JLPTジェイエルピーティー N5エヌゴ文法ぶんぽう疑問詞ぎもんし「だれ」解説かいせつ (人ひとについて尋たずねる)

⏱️ Study time: 5–7 minutes

だれ (dare) is the Japanese question word for “who”. Use it to ask about a person's identity, whose something is, who did something, or who someone is with. It combines with particles like が, の, に, と — and has a polite equivalent どなた for formal situations.

🚀 JLPT N5 Warm-up Quiz

Q: How do you say “Who is that person?” politely?

Both A and B are correct! A uses だれ (neutral), B uses どなた (polite/formal). C means "What is that person?" — which is rude.

Quick Summary

Word
だれ

Meaning
who

Polite equivalent
どなた

Example
あの人ひとはだれですか。あのひとはだれですか。Ano hito wa dare desu ka.
Who is that person?

📝 Core Patterns with だれ

Who is it?: (あの人ひとは) だれですか / どなたですか

Who (subject): だれが + Verb (who does ~?)

Whose: だれの + Noun (whose ~?)

With whom / to whom: だれと / だれに

⚠️ だれ uses が as the subject marker — never は. Say だれが来きますか, not だれは来きますか.

🧠 Need the polite question form? See ですか (desu ka) →

💡 Toggle furigana, hiragana, or romaji for easier reading.

What is だれ?

だれ means "who" and is used to ask about a person's identity. Like all question words in Japanese, it combines with particles to form different types of who‑questions.

With です: だれですか — Who is it? / Who are you?
With が (subject): だれが来きますか — Who is coming?
With の (possessive): だれのかばんですか — Whose bag is it?
With と (with): だれと行いきますか — Who are you going with?

これはだれの傘かさですか。これはだれのかさですか。Kore wa dare no kasa desu ka.
Whose umbrella is this?

⚡ Common Question Patterns with だれ

Pattern	Meaning	Example
だれですか	Who is it?	あの人ひとはだれですか。 Who is that person?
だれが + Verb	Who does ~? (subject)	だれが窓まどを開あけましたか。 Who opened the window?
だれの + Noun	Whose ~?	これはだれの本ほんですか。 Whose book is this?
だれと + Verb	With whom?	だれと映画えいがを見みましたか。 Who did you watch the movie with?
だれに + Verb	To whom?	だれに手紙てがみを書かきましたか。 Who did you write a letter to?

Examples & Mini Dialogue

すみません、田中たなかさんはだれですか。すみません、たなかさんはだれですか。Sumimasen, Tanaka-san wa dare desu ka.
Excuse me, who is Mr. Tanaka?

✅ Asking about a specific person's identity.

だれが料理りょうりを作つくりましたか。だれがりょうりをつくりましたか。Dare ga ryōri o tsukurimashita ka.
Who made the food?

🗣️ Mini Dialogue
A: この写真しゃしんはだれですか。このしゃしんはだれですか。Kono shashin wa dare desu ka.
B: 私わたしの母ははです。わたしのははです。Watashi no haha desu.

⚡ だれ vs どなた — Casual vs Polite

Word	Politeness	Example
だれ	Casual / neutral	あの人ひとはだれですか。 (everyday)
どなた	Polite / formal	あの方かたはどなたですか。 (formal, uses 方 not 人)

💡 At N5: だれ is the standard form for everyday use. どなた appears in polite speech and customer service. Note that with どなた, you often replace 人ひと (person) with 方かた (polite "person") — あの方かたはどなたですか.

Common Mistakes (and Fixes)

✕ だれは来きますか。

✓ だれが来きますか。 (Question words like だれ always take が as the subject marker, not は.)

✕ どなたですか vs だれですか — using だれ in a very formal setting.

✓ Use どなた for business, customer service, and formal introductions.

✕ あの人ひとは何なんですか (asking "what" about a person).

✓ あの人ひとはだれですか (use だれ for "who" — 何 for a person is rude).

JLPT N5 Practice Questions

Score: 0 / 3

1. “Who is that person?” — choose the correct question word.

2. “Whose book is this?” — select the correct particle.

3. Which is the polite form of だれ?

🎯 JLPT N5 tip: だれ is tested in both grammar and listening. Remember: question words like だれ, なに, and どこ always take が as the subject marker — never は. This is one of the most common particle traps at N5.

Test yourself with a free mock exam →

About the Instructor

Taught by Anup Sensei at Gogaku Language & Training Center in Pokhara. With real Japan experience and a focus on exam essentials, he helps students pass the JLPT with confidence.

⚡ Vocabulary Used in This Lesson

Japanese	Reading	Type	English Meaning
だれ	だれ	Interrogative	who
どなた	どなた	Interrogative (polite)	who (polite)
人ひと	ひと	Noun	person
方かた	かた	Noun (polite)	person (polite)
傘かさ	かさ	Noun	umbrella
料理りょうり	りょうり	Noun	cooking, food
作つくる	つくる	Godan verb	to make
写真しゃしん	しゃしん	Noun	photo, picture

Related Grammar

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does だれ use が and not は?

Question words like だれ, なに, どこ, いつ ask for new, unknown information. The particle が emphasises the subject being identified. Using は would imply "as for who..." which is unnatural. Always use だれが.

Can I use だれ with います?

Yes. だれがいますか means "Who is there?" (asking about the existence of a person in a place). Use だれがいますか for living beings, not だれがありますか.

What's the difference between だれの and どなたの?

どなたの is simply the polite version of だれの. Use どなたの in formal situations or when speaking to superiors.

Continue Learning

Next: いつ (itsu) — the question word for "when".

Learn いつ →

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