It is widely known that Japan has a culture of utmost courtesy and politeness.
So, although your curiosity may push you to ask ‘why, why, why?’, it is important not to be overly intrusive when speaking with your Japanese acquaintances.
The standard way to say ‘why’ in Japanese is naze (なぜ).
In this post, we will look at naze and other main terms for how to say ‘why’ in Japanese (yes, there are multiple)!
We will discuss how to use such terms appropriately and more.
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Common ways to say ‘why’ in Japanese
Naze (desu ka)
なぜ（ですか）
Why (standard, polite)
Naze (なぜ), sometimes written 何故, is the standard way of asking ‘why’ in Japanese.
Reflective of how we use ‘why’ in English, you can use naze it on its own to simply ask ‘why?’. Alternatively, you can place it at the beginning of a sentence to ask questions such as ‘why do you…?’ Or ‘why is it…?’.
Naze can be used in a range of different situations, from casual to formal. In casual situations, you may stick to plain (dictionary) form.
In formal situations, use the masu-form for verbs or simply add desu ka (ですか) at the end to sound extra polite.
Example:
Naze sou omoimasu ka?
なぜそう思いますか?
なぜそうおもいますか?
Why do you think so?
