どうでしたか？
dō deshita ka?
In Japanese, "how was it?" is expressed as どうでしたか？ (dō deshita ka?)
The phrase is used to ask for a general impression of an event, a meal, a movie or an experience.
What does it mean word for word?
The word どう means "how", and the part でした is the polite past tense of the copula (to be).
Which one should you use?
どうでしたか？ is the polite form, whereas どうだった？ is the casual form used with friends or peers.
How does it change in a sentence?
The informal version of this question is どうだった？
How do you pronounce it?
dō deshita ka?
Did you know?
- In a professional setting, if you are asking a superior 'how was it?', you should avoid どうでしたか？ and instead use much more formal honorific language like いかがでしたか？ Using the standard polite form can actually sound too casual for a boss.
- If you ask どうでしたか？ about a person's performance or an event, you may receive a very vague answer like まあまあ (so-so). In Japanese culture, a lukewarm response is often a polite way to avoid giving a direct negative opinion.
- When asking how a meal was, Japanese speakers often use the word おいしかった (it was delicious) as a direct substitute for a general 'how was it' question. This focuses the conversation on the sensory pleasure of the food.
Examples in context
- ご旅行はいかがでしたか？How was your trip?
- ご試食はいかがでしたか？料理の味に満足しましたか？How was the tasting? Were you satisfied with the flavors of the dish?
- 昨日の映画、どうだった？How was the movie yesterday?
- 昨日のパーティーは、どうでしたか？Kinou no paatii wa, dou deshita ka?How was the party yesterday?
- 新しい仕事は、どうでしたか？Atarashii shigoto wa, dou deshita ka?How was the new job?
- 日本での生活は、どうでしたか？Nihon de no seikatsu wa, dou deshita ka?How was your life in Japan?
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are talking about a movie Himari watched.
- 陽太 Yota映画はどうでしたか？Eiga wa dō deshita ka?How was the movie?
- 陽葵 Himariとても面白かったです！Totemo omoshirokatta desu!It was very interesting!
- 陽太 Yota本当ですか。良さそうですね。Hontō desu ka. Yosasō desu ne.Really? That sounds good.
- 陽葵 Himariぜひ見てください。Zehi mite kudasai.Please definitely watch it.
