今日はどうだった？
kyō wa dō datta?
The English phrase "how is your day?" is translated into Japanese as 今日はどうだった？ (kyō wa dō datta?)
This question is used to ask someone about the events and quality of their day. Because the phrase uses the past tense, it is most naturally used when the day is nearly over or when a person is returning home.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down into 今日 (kyō), which means "today", followed by the rest of the expression asking how things were.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 今日はどうだった？ is casual. If you are speaking to a stranger or a superior, use the polite version 今日はどうでしたか？ For a formal way to ask about someone's well-being, you might use ごきげんいかがですか？, which translates to "How are you feeling?"
How do you pronounce it?
kyō wa dō datta?
When do people say it?
When someone asks you this, common natural responses include 楽しかった！ (It was fun!) or a more neutral 普通だった (It was ordinary).
Did you know?
- In Japan, asking 'how was your day?' can sometimes feel overly intrusive in a professional setting. People often prefer the vague greeting お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu), which focuses on the person's hard work rather than their personal experiences.
- The word 'today' in this phrase, 今日 (kyō), is a special reading of the characters for 'now' and 'day'. While the characters can be read differently in other contexts, they combine here to create a specific, common noun.
- Japanese often omits the word 'you' entirely in 今日はどうだった？ Including a word for 'your' would actually make the sentence sound unnatural or overly aggressive in a casual conversation.
Examples in context
- 今日はどうだった？kyou wa dou datta?How was your day?
- 仕事、今日はどうだった？shigoto, kyou wa dou datta?How was work today?
- 学校、今日はどうだった？gakkou, kyou wa dou datta?How was school today?
Example conversation
A husband greets his wife when she returns home in the evening.
- 大翔 Hirotoおかえり。今日はどうだった？okaeri. kyou wa dou datta?Welcome home. How was your day?
- 陽葵 Himariとても大変だったよ。totemo taihen datta yo.It was very exhausting.
- 大翔 Hirotoそれは疲れたね。sore wa tsukareta ne.That sounds tiring.
- 陽葵 Himariでも、楽しかったよ。demo, tanoshikatta yo.But, it was fun.
