Which one should you use?
There are several ways to phrase this depending on the pronouns and endings used. Anata wa dokushin desu ka? is a polite version, while Anata wa dokushin? drops the formal ending to be more informal. For a more casual tone, you can use the pronoun kimi in Kimi wa dokushin? or the even more informal o-mae in O-mae wa dokushin ka? Additionally, 独身なの？ (dokushin na no?) is a casual way to ask the question among friends or peers.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
独身ですか？ is the standard polite form. For formal and polite settings, you might use Anata wa dokushin desu ka? In informal settings, you can use Anata wa dokushin? by dropping the formal ending, Kimi wa dokushin? for a casual tone or O-mae wa dokushin ka? which uses the more informal pronoun o-mae. Among friends or peers, 独身なの？ is also a common casual option.
How do you pronounce it?
Dokushin desu ka?
Did you know?
- To ask if someone is single without being too direct, people often use the word フリー (furi), which is a loanword from the English 'free'.
- Japanese has a specific term 婚活 (konkatsu), which translates to 'marriage hunting', describing the active search for a partner to avoid staying 独身 (dokushin).
- In traditional Japanese society, the status of being single was historically managed by 仲人 (nakonin), professional matchmakers who arranged marriages.
Examples in context
- 独身ですか？dokushin desu ka?Are you single?
- 彼は独身ですか？kare wa dokushin desu ka?Is he single?
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are chatting at a party.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さんは、独身ですか？Yota-san wa, dokushin desu ka?Yota, are you single?
- 陽太 Yotaはい、独身です。hai, dokushin desu.Yes, I am single.
- 美咲 Misakiそうなんですね。嬉しいです。sou nan desu ne. ureshii desu.I see. I'm glad.
- 陽太 Yotaどうして嬉しいんですか？doushite ureshii n desu ka?Why are you glad?
