趣味は何ですか？
The English phrase "what are your hobbies?" is translated into Japanese as 趣味は何ですか？
When responding, it is natural to start your sentence with 趣味は… followed by your specific hobby. The word 趣味 can mean either "hobby" or "hobbies" depending on the context.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 趣味 means "hobby" or "hobbies".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
趣味は何ですか？ is used in formal and polite situations. To make the question even more polite and respectful toward the listener, you can add the honorific prefix ご to create ご趣味は何ですか？ For informal situations, you can use 趣味は何？ by dropping the ですか and using only the question particle か or simply using rising intonation.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 趣味は何ですか？, the particle は marks the topic and ですか forms the polite question.
When do people say it?
In Japanese social contexts, asking about hobbies is a standard way to initiate small talk and build rapport.
Did you know?
- While 趣味 is the standard term, a person might describe a deep, obsessive passion as a 道 'way'. For example, calligraphy is not just a hobby but 書道, a spiritual path.
- In modern slang, the word オタ活 describes the 'hobby activities' of a devoted fan. This term specifically refers to the labor and spending involved in supporting an idol or anime.
- The word 趣味 is a loanword from Chinese, where it originally referred to 'interest' or 'pleasure'. In Japanese, it evolved into the specific concept of a 'hobby' as understood in the West.
Examples in context
- 趣味は何ですか？Shumi wa nan desu ka?What are your hobbies?
- 田中さん、趣味は何ですか？Tanaka-san, shumi wa nan desu ka?Mr. Tanaka, what are your hobbies?
Example conversation
Two colleagues are chatting during a lunch break.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔さん、趣味は何ですか？Hiroto-san, shumi wa nan desu ka?Hiroto, what are your hobbies?
- 大翔 Hiroto僕は映画を見ることが好きです。Boku wa eiga o miru koto ga suki desu.I like watching movies.
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね！どんな映画が好きですか？Ii desu ne! Donna eiga ga suki desu ka?That's nice! What kind of movies do you like?
- 大翔 Hirotoアクション映画が一番好きです。Akushon eiga ga ichiban suki desu.I like action movies the most.
