Question Words: Who, What, Where

Words that ask

Some words help us ask things. We call them question words. Three easy ones are who, what and where. Every question ends with a question mark (?).

Who asks about people 🧑

Who asks about a person.

Who is that? — It is my friend. 👧

Who can run? — Sam can run. 👦

When you want to know about a person, start with Who.

What asks about things 📦

What asks about a thing.

What is it? — It is a ball. ⚽

What is that? — It is a cup. 🥤

When you want to know about a thing, start with What.

Where asks about places 📍

Where asks about a place.

Where is the cat? — On the bed. 🐱

Where is my hat? — In the box. 🎩

When you want to know about a place, start with Where.

The question mark ❓

Every question ends with a question mark. It looks like this: ?

Question	Mark
Who is that	?
What is it	?
Where is mum	?

The question mark tells the reader: this is a question!

Read and answer

Read each question, then say the answer:

What is red? 🔴

Where is the dog? 🐶

Who is happy? 😀

Play and practise

Play the matching game to give each question word its job: person, thing or place. Then flip the flashcards to read short questions and their answers.

Keep going

Try these next:

• Tiny words first: First Sight Words
• Build sentences: Reading Your First Sentences
• Fun picture words: Animal Words

Now you can ask who, what and where. Great asking! 🙋