Questions to Ask Your Friends

What are good questions to ask your friends?

Good questions to ask your friends are open, friendly and a little surprising, so they lead to stories rather than one-word answers. Our list holds 300 original questions to ask your friends in ten categories, and the picker above chooses one at random whenever the chat goes quiet.

Even close friends fall into the same few topics. A fresh question breaks that pattern, helps you learn something new and often makes you both laugh. Asking good questions is one of the simplest ways to grow a friendship and feel closer, whether you are getting to know someone or have been friends for years. Every question here is family-friendly, so the whole list works with classmates, cousins and colleagues, and each one is meant to start a conversation, not end it.

How do you use the question picker?

You use the question picker by setting how many questions you want, choosing a category or depth if you like, and pressing Generate.

1. Set the number. Type 1 to 20 in the How many box; the default is 3.
2. Pick filters. Choose a category such as Childhood or Travel and a depth of Light, Easy, Thoughtful or Deep, or leave both on "Any" to draw from all 300.
3. Generate. Press Generate and take turns answering.
4. Save or share. Copy one question or the whole list, download a CSV, or copy a share link to send the same settings to a friend.

Start light and move deeper as everyone relaxes. The lists below run from quick, silly questions to ones that need a quiet moment.

How do you start a good conversation with a friend?

You start a good conversation by asking an open-ended question, listening closely and then asking a follow-up question about the answer.

Open-ended questions begin with what, how or why, so they invite a story. "Did you have fun?" gets a yes; "What was the best part?" gets a memory. Then listen properly: put the phone down and respond to what was said, not to what you planned to say next. Research backs this up. A 2017 Harvard study found that people who asked more follow-up questions were better liked by the people they talked to.

It also helps to take turns and answer your own questions. Psychologist Arthur Aron led a well-known 1997 study, often called the 36 questions, in which pairs of strangers answered gradually more personal questions and felt closer afterwards. That steady, shared self-disclosure is what turns small talk into real connection.

Which categories can you choose?

You can choose from ten categories, with 30 questions in each. The table shows how deep each one goes.

Getting-to-know-you questions

These questions help you get to know someone better without feeling like an interview.

• What does a perfect day look like for you?
• What is your favourite way to relax after a long day?
• What kind of music do you play when you need energy?
• Which app do you open first in the morning?
• Who is someone you look up to, and why?
• Which film could you watch again and again?
• What is a habit you are proud of?
• What would your dream job be if money did not matter?
• Do you prefer planning everything or going with the flow?
• Which book or podcast would you recommend to me?

Fun and random questions to ask your friends

These fun and random questions are made for laughs, sleepovers and group chats.

• If you were a kitchen appliance, which one would you be?
• What is the strangest food combination you secretly enjoy?
• If you could add one room to your house, what would it be?
• Which fictional world would you most like to visit?
• What would your superhero name be?
• What is the weirdest dream you remember?
• Which song do you always sing along to?
• If you could shrink anything to pocket size, what would it be?
• What would you put in a museum about your life?
• Which game show would you be best at?

Questions to ask your best friend

These best friend questions suit people who already know each other well and want to celebrate it.

• What is your favourite memory of us together?
• Which trip should we take together one day?
• What is something I do that always makes you smile?
• What tradition should we start as friends?
• How can I be a better friend to you?
• Which song reminds you of our friendship?
• What is a goal we could work on together?
• What should we cook together next time?
• If we wrote a book about our friendship, what would the title be?
• What did you think of me the day we met?

Deep questions to ask your friends

These deep questions need time and trust, so save them for a calm moment.

• What is something you have changed your mind about?
• Which three things are you thankful for this week?
• What is something you wish more people understood about you?
• What is a fear you have overcome?
• What is a dream you have not given up on?
• What are you still learning about yourself?
• What do you need more of in your life?
• Which choice are you most proud of?
• What gives your life meaning?
• What do you think your purpose is right now?

Childhood memory questions

Childhood questions bring back old stories and often reveal things even close friends never knew.

• What was your favourite toy growing up?
• What was your favourite game at break time?
• Which food did you refuse to eat as a child?
• What was the first book you loved?
• What was the best present you ever got as a child?
• Which subject did you love most at school?
• What was your favourite outdoor game?
• Which hobby did you spend hours on as a kid?
• What was your favourite thing about your grandparents' home?
• Which film scared you as a kid but seems funny now?

Questions about hobbies and interests

These questions about hobbies can lead to a new shared activity.

• Which hobby could you talk about for hours?
• Which sport would you play if you had more time?
• Which game do you never get tired of?
• What is a hobby you gave up but miss?
• Do you prefer indoor or outdoor hobbies?
• What is a craft you would like to learn?
• Do you enjoy gardening, or would you like to start?
• Which hobby do you think suits me?
• What is a hobby that relaxes you?
• Which online course would you take?

Travel questions to ask your friends

These travel questions are perfect for planning a trip or simply dreaming about one.

• What is the best trip you have ever taken?
• What is the most beautiful place you have seen?
• What is your favourite way to travel?
• Would you rather camp in the mountains or stay by the sea?
• What do you always pack first?
• Do you collect souvenirs from your trips?
• Would you rather travel alone or with friends?
• What is your favourite airport or train station?
• Which natural wonder is on your list?
• Which festival around the world would you like to attend?

Food questions to ask your friends

Everyone has strong opinions about food, which makes these easy openers at any meal.

• What is your all-time favourite meal?
• Sweet or savoury breakfast?
• What is the best restaurant you have ever been to?
• What is your favourite comfort food?
• What is the most unusual food you have tried?
• What is your go-to order at a café?
• What is your favourite street food?
• What is a dish you would like to learn to cook?
• Which food would you never share?
• What is your favourite thing to bake?

Questions about the future and dreams

These questions about the future help friends share goals and cheer each other on.

• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Which skill do you want to master?
• What would you do with a whole year off?
• What would you like to learn next?
• What kind of difference would you like to make?
• What is a book you want to write or read?
• What would you do if you won a big prize?
• What would you change in your neighbourhood?
• Which challenge would you like to take on?
• What is a hobby you want to get serious about?

Quick-fire questions

Quick-fire questions have two short options and work as a fast warm-up round.

• Tea or coffee?
• Books or films?
• Pizza or pasta?
• Call or text?
• Plan or improvise?
• Cake or ice cream?
• Comedy or adventure film?
• Lake or sea?
• Phone call or video call?
• Paper map or GPS?

How can you use these questions?

You can use these questions almost anywhere friends spend time together. Here are some easy ideas.

• Online: drop one question a day into your group chat.
• Overnight: pass the phone around at a sleepover and let each person press Generate.
• On the move: use quick-fire questions on a road trip.
• At home: open a game night with a round of fun questions.
• Far apart: start a video call with one deep question.

Getting-to-know-you questions also help new friends at school, clubs or work, and many people enjoy answering one question a day in a journal.

How does the question picker choose questions?

The question picker chooses questions by filtering the 300 questions to those that match your settings and then drawing from that filtered pool with your browser's cryptographic random source, so every matching question has the same chance. Nothing is sent to a server.

The draw uses the Web Crypto API (crypto.getRandomValues, documented on MDN Web Docs) with rejection sampling, then a Fisher–Yates shuffle. Each press is independent, and one list never shows the same question twice unless you switch on "Allow repeats"; repeats across separate presses are normal.

Frequently asked questions

More tools in this category: Question Games.