何かご用でしょうか？
nanika goyō deshō ka?
The English phrase "what can I do for you?" is translated into Japanese as 何かご用でしょうか？ (nanika goyō deshō ka?)
何かご用でしょうか？ is a polite way to ask someone how you can help them or why they have come to see you. It is commonly used by staff in service industries, such as in shops or hotels or by someone receiving a visitor to politely ask the purpose of their visit.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "Is there some business/matter?" where nanika means "something", go-yō is the polite form of "business/errand/use" and deshō ka is a polite way of asking "is it?"
Which one should you use?
While the default form is professional and welcoming, the informal version 何か用？ is much more blunt and can sound impatient or even rude if used with a stranger.
How do you pronounce it?
nanika goyō deshō ka?
Did you know?
- The ending deshō ka creates a 'soft' question by expressing a conjecture. It is more polite than a standard question because it avoids putting the listener on the spot by phrasing the inquiry as a tentative guess.
- The phrase 何か用？ is so blunt that it is frequently used in anime and drama to signal that a character is annoyed or dislikes the person they are speaking to.
- The word 用 (yō) is the root of the common phrase 用事で (yōji de), used to excuse oneself from a social gathering by claiming to have 'errands' to run.
Examples in context
- 何かご用でしょうか？お気軽にお声がけください。Nanika goyou deshou ka? Okigaru ni okoegake kudasai.Is there something I can do for you? Please feel free to ask.
Example conversation
A visitor arrives at a small local office.
- 美咲 Misakiすみません、ちょっと伺いたいことがありまして。Sumimasen, chotto ukagaitai koto ga arimashite.Excuse me, I have something I would like to ask.
- 蓮 Ren何かご用でしょうか？Nanika goyou deshou ka?What can I do for you?
- 美咲 Misaki書類の書き方を教えていただけますか？Shorui no kakikata o oshiete itadakemasu ka?Could you show me how to fill out this form?
- 蓮 Renはい、もちろんです。Hai, mochiron desu.Yes, of course.
