痛いですか
itai desu ka
The English phrase "does it hurt?" is translated into Japanese as 痛いですか (itai desu ka).
This phrase is used to ask if someone is experiencing physical pain. While English uses the verb "to hurt," Japanese uses the adjective 痛い (itai), which literally translates to "is it painful?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal situations, you can use お痛みはありますか？ or お痛みはいかがですか？ In informal settings, you can use 痛い？ with rising intonation, 痛くない？ to ask "Doesn't it hurt?" or 痛いの？ to ask "Is it painful?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The core adjective is 痛い (itai), which is an i-adjective that describes a sensation of pain. In the phrase 痛いですか, the particle ですか (desu ka) is added to the end of the adjective to turn the statement "it is painful" into a polite question. In the formal version お痛みはありますか？, the お serves as a polite honorific prefix.
How do you pronounce it?
itai desu ka
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word 痛い (itai) can also be used as an insult to describe someone who is 'cringe' or socially awkward. If someone says 痛い人 (itai hito), they are calling that person 'a painful person' in a metaphorical, social sense.
- While English speakers often ask 'Does it hurt?' when seeing a wound, a Japanese person might instead observe the situation and say 大丈夫ですか (daijoubu desu ka), meaning 'Are you okay?' This shifts the focus from the pain itself to the person's overall well-being.
- Japanese has a specific grammar structure for 'pain' where the speaker can say 痛いところ (itai tokoro), literally 'the painful place', to refer to the exact spot that hurts.
Examples in context
- そこは痛いですか？Soko wa itai desu ka?Does it hurt there?
- 注射は痛いですか？Chuusha wa itai desu ka?Does the injection hurt?
Example conversation
Ren is checking on Himari after she bumped her knee.
- 蓮 Ren膝は痛いですか？Hiza wa itai desu ka?Does your knee hurt?
- 陽葵 Himari少し痛いです。Sukoshi itai desu.It hurts a little.
- 蓮 Ren大丈夫ですか？Daijoubu desu ka?Are you okay?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、大丈夫です。Hai, daijoubu desu.Yes, I'm okay.
