学校はどうだった？
gakkō wa dō datta?
In Japanese, "how was school" is expressed as 学校はどうだった？ (gakkō wa dō datta?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about their experience or day at school.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 学校はどうだった？ is composed of 学校 (school), は (topic marker), どう (how) and だった (past tense of 'to be').
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 学校はどうだった？ is informal and used between family members or close friends. For a polite or formal way to ask, you can use Gakkou wa dou deshita ka? or 学校はどうでしたか？ when speaking to someone you are not close with.
How do you pronounce it?
gakkō wa dō datta?
Did you know?
- Japanese students often spend hours after the formal school day in 部活 ('club activities'). Because of this, asking 学校はどうだった？ often refers more to their sports or arts club than to their actual classes.
- While English speakers ask 'how was school', Japanese parents often ask 何かあった？ which literally means 'did something happen?' This shifts the focus from a general feeling to specific events of the day.
- In Japanese culture, the answer to 学校はどうだった？ is frequently 普通 ('futsuu'), meaning 'normal' or 'average'. While 'average' sounds mediocre in English, in Japanese it is a standard, neutral response.
Examples in context
- 学校はどうだった？Gakkou wa dou datta?How was school?
- 今日、学校はどうだった？Kyou, gakkou wa dou datta?How was school today?
- テストの後の学校はどうだった？Tesuto no ato no gakkou wa dou datta?How was school after the test?
Example conversation
A brother and sister are talking in the living room after class.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲、学校はどうだった？Misaki, gakkou wa dou datta?Misaki, how was school?
- 美咲 Misakiとても楽しかったよ！Totemo tanoshikatta yo!It was a lot of fun!
- 大翔 Hiroto何かいいことあった？Nanika ii koto atta?Did something good happen?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、新しい友達ができたの。Un, atarashii tomodachi ga dekita no.Yeah, I made a new friend.
