どうですか
dō desu ka
The English phrase "how about" can be translated into Japanese as どうですか (dō desu ka).
どうですか is used to make a suggestion or to ask for someone's opinion regarding a plan. It can also be used to ask for a person's opinion or state of being (e.g., 'How is the coffee?').
Which one should you use?
While どうですか is a common way to say "how about", other forms exist depending on the level of politeness required. In formal settings, you might use いかがですか or いかがでしょうか.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
どうですか is a polite way to express this idea. For even more formal or professional situations, such as in business or service settings, use いかがですか or いかがでしょうか. In informal situations, you can simply use どう.
How does it change in a sentence?
どうですか functions as a polite way to ask "how is it?" or "how about?"
How do you pronounce it?
dō desu ka
Did you know?
- While どうですか asks 'how about', a common response to a suggestion is not 'yes' or 'no', but ちょっと, which means 'a little' and politely signals a rejection.
- The word どう is a contraction of the older word いかよう, which is why the formal version begins with いか in いかがですか.
- If you are suggesting something to a superior, using どうですか can actually sound slightly pushy or demanding because it puts them on the spot to give an immediate opinion.
Examples in context
- お茶でもどうですか？How about some tea?This sentence is useful for suggesting a drink using どうですか.Tatoeba #8875105 by small_snow, translation #2883189 by CK
- 金曜日はどうですか？How about Friday?This sentence is useful for suggesting a specific day using どうですか.Tatoeba #9776974 by small_snow, translation #1358780 by CK
- 月曜日はどうですか？How about Monday?This sentence is useful for suggesting a different day using どうですか.Tatoeba #9776980 by small_snow, translation #6667124 by CK
- これを使ってみるのはいかがですか？How about trying to use this?
- この案について、いかがでしょうか？How about this proposal?
- 明日、遊びに行くのはどう？How about going out to play tomorrow?
- この映画、見に行くのはどうですか？How about going to see this movie?
- お茶を飲みませんか？どうしますか？Would you like to have tea? How about it?
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- 陽葵 Himariお昼にパスタはどうですか？Ohiru ni pasuta wa dou desu ka?How about pasta for lunch?
- 陽太 Yotaいいですね。そうしましょう。Ii desu ne. Sou shimashou.That sounds good. Let's do that.
- 陽葵 Himari駅前のイタリア料理店はどうですか？Ekimae no itaria ryouriten wa dou desu ka?How about the Italian restaurant in front of the station?
- 陽太 Yotaあそこなら美味しいですよ。Asoko nara oishii desu yo.That place is delicious.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
