Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| どう | dō | [do̞ː] (narrow) |
| どのように | dono yō ni | |
| どうやって | dōyatte |
The word どう can be used to make suggestions, such as "How about [X]?", by following it with a noun and the particle は. Other forms focus on the manner or the specific method of doing something.
What does it mean word for word?
The formal form どのように literally means "in what manner", combining the demonstrative どの (which) with ように (in the manner of).
Which one should you use?
While どう and どのように focus on a state or manner, どうやって is specifically used when asking for the method or the steps required to complete a task, such as "How do I get there?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
どう is the most casual and direct way to ask "how", commonly used in daily conversation with friends or family. For formal situations, use どのように. The expression いかに is also a formal way to say "how" that is frequently used in professional settings. For a more colloquial tone, you can use どうやって or the informal phrase どんな風に to inquire about specifics or how to describe something.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding して to どのように creates the phrase どのようにして, which is used to emphasize the process or the method.
How do you pronounce it?
dō
Did you know?
- The phrase どんな風に is a more colloquial way to ask 'how' by literally incorporating the word for 'wind', 風.
- The word どう was documented as early as 1604 in a Portuguese-Japanese dictionary called 'Arte da Lingoa de Iapam'.
- The word どう belongs to a family of interrogative words that includes 'dore' (which one) and 'doko' (where).
Examples in context
- 景気はどう？How goes it?This is useful for asking about the state of the economy using どう.Tatoeba #176522 by small_snow, translation #237942 by CM
- 調子はどう？How is it going?This is useful for asking how things are going using どう.Tatoeba #8655852 by small_snow, translation #38308 by CK
- 今ならどう？How about right now?This is useful for making a suggestion about timing using どう.Tatoeba #9777053 by small_snow, translation #5754834 by CM
- この問題はどのように解決しますか？How do I solve this problem?
- この漢字はどのようにして書きますか？How do I write this kanji?
- 今日の映画、どうだった？How was today's movie?
- 彼女とのデートはどんな風に過ごしましたか？How did you spend time on your date with her?
- これはどうやって使いますか？How do I use this?
- 1006 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are discussing a new recipe Yota made.
- 結衣 Yui作った料理、味はどう？tsukutta ryouri, aji wa dou?How is the food you made?
- 陽太 Yota美味しいよ。結衣も食べてみて。oishii yo. Yui mo tabete mite.It's delicious. Yui, you should try it too.
- 結衣 Yui本当だ、すごく美味しいね！hontou da, sugoku oishii ne!You're right, it's really delicious!
- 陽太 Yotaよかった。作り方は簡単だよ。yokatta. tsukurikata wa kantan da yo.I'm glad. The way to make it is easy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how” translations and entries どう, どのように, どうやって, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries どう, どうやって, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
