Languages › Japanese How to Say "Why" in Japanese Share Flipboard Email Print Henglein and Steets/Getty Images Japanese Essential Japanese Vocabulary History & Culture Japanese Grammar By Namiko Abe Namiko Abe Japanese Language Expert B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. She has been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on February 26, 2019 "Naze" means "why" in Japanese. Japanese Characters なぜ Notes "Doushite （どうして）" can be used in informal situations. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Abe, Namiko. "How to Say "Why" in Japanese." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/naze-simple-japanese-phrases-2028329. Abe, Namiko. (2020, August 28). How to Say "Why" in Japanese. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/naze-simple-japanese-phrases-2028329 Abe, Namiko. "How to Say "Why" in Japanese." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/naze-simple-japanese-phrases-2028329 (accessed June 4, 2023). copy citation