合っていますか？
atte imasu ka?
In Japanese, "is it correct?" is said as 合っていますか？ (atte imasu ka?)
The phrase 合っていますか？ is a direct translation for "Is it correct?" used to ask if a piece of information or an answer is accurate. You may also encounter そうですか to mean "Is that so?" or なるほど to express "I see".
Which one should you use?
While 合っていますか？ asks if something "matches" the truth, 正しいですか？ is used to ask if something is "right" or "correct" in a more formal and objective sense.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
合っていますか？ is used in formal situations. For extremely polite confirmation, you can use 正しいのか教えていただけますか？, which means "Could you kindly teach me if it is correct?" In casual conversation, you can use the informal 合ってる？ or the simple and direct 正しい？
How do you pronounce it?
atte imasu ka?
Did you know?
- When someone responds to 合っていますか？ with その通りです ('sono tōri desu'), they are literally saying 'it is exactly along that street' or 'following that line'.
- If you use the more formal 正しいですか？ to ask if a person's opinion is 'correct', you might accidentally imply they are 'morally' right or wrong, which can sound judgmental.
- Depending on the context, 合っていますか？ can be used to ask if clothes fit or if a couple is a good match, as the word implies a harmonious alignment.
Examples in context
- 先週のレポート、合っていますか？Is last week's report correct?
- この答え、合ってる？Is this answer correct?
- この駅で降りて大丈夫？Can I get off at this station? Is it correct?
- 私の理解は合っていますか？Watashi no rikai wa atte imasu ka?Is my understanding correct?
- 使い方はこれで合っていますか？Tsukaikata wa kore de atte imasu ka?Is this the correct way to use it?
Example conversation
Ren is asking Misaki to check his math homework.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さん、この計算は合っていますか？Misaki-san, kono keisan wa atte imasu ka?Misaki, is this calculation correct?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、合っていますよ。Hai, atte imasu yo.Yes, it is correct.
- 蓮 Ren良かったです。ありがとうございます。Yokatta desu. Arigatou gozaimasu.I'm glad. Thank you very much.
- 美咲 Misakiどういたしまして。Dou itashimashite.You're welcome.
