どういう

pre-noun adjectival

what kind of; what sort of

1. what kind of; what sort of

A prenominal expression asking about the nature, type, or meaning of something. It always precedes a noun.

どういう意味(いみ)ですか。

What do you mean? (lit. what kind of meaning?)

What kind of person do you like?

For some reason, he said nothing.

From どう (how) + 言(い)う (to say). It precedes a noun to ask about its kind, nature, or meaning.

どんな: what kind of — more casual and more common in everyday speech; どういう is a little more formal and often asks for an explanation
どうして: why — asks for a reason rather than a type

Related Words

Compare: どんな (what kind of)

general

Added 2026.5.26 12:08 · Revised 2026.10.3 22:18

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