JLPT N5 Grammar: どう (dou) — “How” Question Word

JLPT N5 Grammar: どう (dou)

Q: What's the difference between どう and どうやって?

どう is a general 'how' — used for opinions, states, and decisions. どうやって specifically asks about a method or means. Use どうやって when you want a step‑by‑step explanation.

The question word “how” — asking about manner, state, and opinion

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「どう」解説かいせつ (方法ほうほう・様子ようす・意見いけん)

⏱️ Study time: 5–7 minutes

どう (dou) is the Japanese question word for “how”. Use it to ask about someone's opinion (どうですか), to ask how something is done (どうやって), or to suggest doing something (どうしますか). It's one of the most versatile question words at N5.

🚀 JLPT N5 Warm-up Quiz

Q: How do you say “How is the weather?” politely?

Both A and C are correct! A uses どう (neutral), C uses いかが (polite/formal). Both mean "How is the weather?" B means "What is the weather?" — odd and not natural.

Quick Summary

Word
どう

Meaning
how / in what way

Polite equivalent
いかが

Example
天気てんきはどうですか。てんきはどうですか。Tenki wa dō desu ka.
How is the weather?

📝 Core Patterns with どう

Opinion / state: Noun + は + どうですか / いかがですか

Decision / plan: どうしますか / どうしましょうか (What shall we do?)

Method (by what means): どうやって + Verb (how do you ~?)

Past: どうでしたか (How was it?)

⚠️ どう never takes a particle after it — it stands alone or combines with やって for "by what means".

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

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

What is どう?

どう means "how" or "in what way". It is used to ask about someone's opinion, the state of something, or what method to use. It's one of the most frequently used question words in daily conversation.

With です: どうですか — How is it? / What do you think?
With します: どうしますか — What will you do? / How will you handle it?
With やって: どうやって — How / By what means? (method)
With past: どうでしたか — How was it?

日本語にほんごの勉強べんきょうはどうですか。にほんごのべんきょうはどうですか。Nihongo no benkyō wa dō desu ka.
How is your Japanese study going?

⚡ Common Question Patterns with どう

Pattern	Meaning	Example
どうですか	How is it? / What do you think?	天気てんきはどうですか。 How is the weather?
どうでしたか	How was it? (past)	旅行りょこうはどうでしたか。 How was the trip?
どうしますか	What will you do? / How will you handle it?	明日あしたどうしますか。 What will you do tomorrow?
どうやって	How / By what means?	駅えきまでどうやって行いきますか。 How do you go to the station?
どうしましょうか	What shall we do? (suggestion)	週末しゅうまつどうしましょうか。 What shall we do this weekend?

Examples & Mini Dialogue

この映画えいがはどうでしたか。このえいがはどうでしたか。Kono eiga wa dō deshita ka.
How was this movie?

✅ どう + でした = asking about a past experience.

東京とうきょうまでどうやって行いきますか。とうきょうまでどうやっていきますか。Tōkyō made dō yatte ikimasu ka.
How do you go to Tokyo? (By what means?)

🗣️ Mini Dialogue
A: 新あたらしい仕事しごとはどうですか。あたらしいしごとはどうですか。Atarashii shigoto wa dō desu ka.
B: 忙いそがしいですが、楽たのしいです。いそがしいですが、たのしいです。Isogashii desu ga, tanoshii desu.

⚡ どう vs いかが — Casual vs Polite

Word	Politeness	Example
どう	Casual / neutral	コーヒーはどうですか。 How about some coffee?
いかが	Polite / formal	コーヒーはいかがですか。 Would you care for some coffee?

💡 At N5: どう is the standard form for everyday use. いかが is the polite version — very common in customer service and formal invitations. Both are tested at N5, especially in listening.

⚡ どうやって — "How / By What Means"

どうやって is the standard way to ask about a method or means of doing something. It combines どう (how) + やって (te‑form of やる — to do). Use it when you want to know the steps or the way to do something.

Example	Meaning
漢字かんじをどうやって覚おぼえますか。	How do you memorise kanji?
この機械きかいをどうやって使つかいますか。	How do you use this machine?

Common Mistakes (and Fixes)

✕ 天気てんきは何なんですか (asking "what" about the weather).

✓ 天気てんきはどうですか (use どう for "how is it").

✕ どうをしますか (adding particle を to どう).

✓ どうしますか (どう stands alone; no particle needed).

✕ Confusing どう and どうやって for opinions.

✓ Use どうですか for opinions, どうやって for methods/means.

JLPT N5 Practice Questions

Score: 0 / 3

1. “How was the test?” — choose the correct question.

2. “How do you use this?” — asking about the method, use:

3. Which is the polite version of どう?

🎯 JLPT N5 tip: どう is tested in both grammar and listening. The polite form いかが appears frequently in service‑oriented dialogues. Remember: どう for opinions, どうやって for methods. This distinction will help you choose the right answer in multiple‑choice questions.

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
どう	どう	Interrogative	how
いかが	いかが	Interrogative (polite)	how (polite)
天気てんき	てんき	Noun	weather
映画えいが	えいが	Noun	movie
旅行りょこう	りょこう	Noun	trip, travel
駅えき	えき	Noun	station
仕事しごと	しごと	Noun	work, job

Related Grammar

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between どう and どうやって?

どう is a general "how" — used for opinions, states, and decisions. どうやって specifically asks about a method or means: "How do you do it?" / "By what means?" Use どうやって when you want a step‑by‑step explanation.

Is いかが always better than どう?

いかが is more polite, so it's preferred in formal situations, customer service, and when offering something. In everyday conversation with friends, どう is perfectly natural.

Can どう be used alone?

Yes, in casual speech: どう？ (How is it?). But for polite Japanese and the JLPT, use the full form どうですか.

Continue Learning

Next: どうして (doushite) — the question word for "why".

Learn どうして →

→ Explore the JLPT N5 Grammar Hub

Ready to Pass JLPT N5 with Confidence?

Join Anup Sensei's intensive course at Gogaku Language & Training Center, Pokhara. Small batches, real conversation, mock tests, and full grammar mastery.

Join Now – www.gogakueducation.com

🎌 Free JLPT Mock Test