今日はどうだった？
kyō wa dō datta?
The English phrase "how was your day today?" is translated into Japanese as 今日はどうだった？ (kyō wa dō datta?)
This phrase is used to initiate conversation about someone's daily activities or mood.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 今日 (kyō) means "today".
Which one should you use?
The default form 今日はどうだった？ means "How was today?" You may also use the informal phrase 一日どうだった？ to say "How was your day?", or the shorter informal expression どうだった？ which means "How was it?"
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase polite, the casual datta is replaced with deshita ka in the form 今日はどうでしたか？
How do you pronounce it?
kyō wa dō datta?
Did you know?
- While English speakers use this to start a conversation, Japanese speakers often use the related phrase 'Otsukaresama' to acknowledge someone's hard work instead. It serves as a functional greeting that recognizes the effort of the day spent.
- While English speakers ask this frequently, Japanese people often avoid 今日はどうだった？ with close family. They instead use 'indirect communication' by commenting on a visible detail, such as 疲れているね ('you look tired'), to invite the other person to talk.
- In Japanese, you do not need to include the word 'you' when asking this question. Adding 'anata' (you) can actually make the question sound cold, accusatory, or overly distant to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- 「映画、どうだった？」「今日はどうだった？」How was the movie? / How was your day?
- 「一日どうだった？」「今日はどうだった？」How was your day?
- 今日はどうだった？Kyō wa dō datta?How was your day today?
- 仕事は、今日はどうだった？Shigoto wa, kyō wa dō datta?How was work today?
- 学校、今日はどうだった？Gakkō, kyō wa dō datta?How was school today?
Example conversation
A husband and wife greeting each other at home in the evening.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔、今日はどうだった？Hiroto, kyō wa dō datta?Hiroto, how was your day today?
- 大翔 Hirotoとても忙しかったよ。Totemo isogashikatta yo.It was very busy.
- 陽葵 Himari大変だったね。Taihen datta ne.That sounds tough.
- 大翔 Hirotoでも、楽しかったよ。Demo, tanoshikatta yo.But, it was fun.
