どうですか
dō desu ka
The English phrase "how is" can be translated into Japanese as どうですか (dō desu ka).
どうですか is used to ask for someone's opinion or to inquire about the condition of something.
Which one should you use?
While どうですか asks about an opinion or state, if you want to ask "what happened?" or "what is wrong?", you should use どうしましたか instead.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
どうですか is the standard polite way to ask a question. For more formal situations, such as business settings or when speaking to superiors, you can use the more polite いかがですか. In casual settings among friends, you may drop the polite endings and simply use どう.
How does it change in a sentence?
The core of this phrase is the adverb どう, which means "how". The full phrase どうですか functions as the standard polite way to say "how is" or "how are".
How do you pronounce it?
dō desu ka
Did you know?
- In Japan, どうですか is often used to make a polite suggestion or invitation, such as offering someone a drink or a piece of cake, rather than just asking for an opinion.
- The word どう is a linguistic relative of どうして, which is used to ask 'why'. Both stem from the same root used to inquire about the manner or reason of a situation.
- The polite form いかがですか is so formal that using it with a close friend or a child can be interpreted as a joke or a sarcastic way of mocking formal speech.
Examples in context
- 天気はどうですか。How is the weather?This sentence is useful for asking about the weather using どうですか.Tatoeba #125116 by small_snow, translation #64158 by CK
- 景気はどうですか。How is the economy?This sentence is useful for inquiring about the state of the economy using どうですか.Tatoeba #176521 by bunbuku, translation #237943 by CK
- 仕事はどうですか？How is work?This sentence is useful for asking about work using どうですか.Tatoeba #4751203 by tommy_san, translation #5107360 by r3cca
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A woman asks a man about his new apartment.
- 陽葵 Himari新しい部屋はどうですか。Atarashii heya wa dou desu ka.How is your new room?
- 大翔 Hirotoとても広くて快適ですよ。Totemo hirokute kaiteki desu yo.It is very spacious and comfortable.
- 陽葵 Himariそれは良かったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.That is good to hear.
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、とても気に入っています。Hai, totemo ki ni itte imasu.Yes, I like it very much.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
