What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down as follows: これ (kore) means "this" and refers to an object near the speaker. 日本語で (nihongo de) means "in Japanese", where the particle で (de) indicates the medium or language being used.
Which one should you use?
While これは日本語でどう言いますか uses これ (this) to refer to something near the speaker, you can use それは日本語でどう言いますか to ask "how do you say that in Japanese?" if you are referring to something near the listener.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to ask this depending on the situation. For formal situations, you can use これを日本語でどう言いますか？ or この表現を日本語でどう表しますか？ In informal settings, you might use これを日本語でどう言うの？ or これは日本語でなんて言うの？
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle で in 日本語で indicates the medium or language being used. If you are pointing to something far away from you but close to the listener, you should replace これ with それ.
How do you pronounce it?
kore wa nihongo de dō iimasu ka
Did you know?
- Japanese has a unique 'distal' system where これ and それ are not enough. If both the speaker and listener are far from the object, they must use あれ (are), which translates to 'that thing over there'.
- The word 言う used for 'say' is based on a verb that can also mean 'to call' or 'to be named'. This makes it the primary word for both speaking a phrase and identifying an object.
- When asking this phrase, it is often more polite to point at a physical object or a picture rather than just saying 'this', as the Japanese language relies heavily on visual context to avoid ambiguity.
Examples in context
- すみません、これを日本語でどう言いますか？Excuse me, could you please tell me how to say this in Japanese?
- ねえ、これを日本語でどう言うの？Hey, can you help me with this phrase in Japanese?
- これは日本語でどう言いますか？Kore wa Nihongo de dou iimasu ka?How do you say this in Japanese?
Example conversation
A student is asking a classmate for help with a vocabulary word.
- 陽葵 Himariすみません、これは日本語でどう言いますか？Sumimasen, kore wa Nihongo de dou iimasu ka?Excuse me, how do you say this in Japanese?
- 大翔 Hirotoそれは「辞書」と言いますよ。Sore wa "jisho" to iimasu yo.That is said as "jisho" (dictionary).
- 陽葵 Himari大翔君、教えてくれてありがとう！Hiroto-kun, oshiete kurete arigatou!Hiroto, thank you for telling me!
- 大翔 Hirotoいいえ、どういたしまして。Iie, douitashimashite.No, you're welcome.
