What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of なに, meaning "what" and しましたか, which is the polite past tense form of the verb "to do".
Which one should you use?
While 何をしましたか？ is a standard polite inquiry, adding んですか to the end to form 何をしたんですか？ changes the nuance to suggest you are seeking an explanation or expressing surprise at what occurred. For specific professional contexts, お仕事は何をなさったんですか。 can be used to ask "What did you do for work?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 何をしましたか？ is polite and suitable for use with strangers, colleagues or superiors. For more informal or friendly settings, you can use 何をしたの？ or the even shorter 何をした？ when speaking with friends or family. The phrase 昨日何してたの？ is a colloquial way to ask "What were you up to yesterday?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 何をしましたか？, the particle か at the end functions as a question marker. In the informal phrase 昨日何してたの？, the form してたの? is a colloquial contraction of していたの?
How do you pronounce it?
nani o shimashita ka?
Did you know?
- Japanese often omits the subject entirely. In the phrase 何をしましたか？, there is no word for 'you', and the identity of the person being asked is understood through the social context and eye contact.
- If you ask a broad 'what did you do?' in Japanese, you might actually sound like a police officer. Because the phrase can sound like an interrogation, Japanese speakers often prefer to ask about specific activities instead.
- The polite verb なさった used in professional contexts is a 'honorific' form. This means the speaker is linguistically lifting the other person's action to a higher social status to show respect.
Examples in context
- 昨日の夜、何をしましたか？Kinō no yoru, nani o shimashita ka?What did you do last night?
- 週末は、何をしましたか？Shūmatsu wa, nani o shimashita ka?What did you do on the weekend?
- 休みの日、何をしましたか？Yasumi no hi, nani o shimashita ka?What did you do on your day off?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their weekend.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲さん、週末は何をしましたか？Misaki-san, shuumatsu wa nani o shimashitaka?Misaki, what did you do over the weekend?
- 美咲 Misaki友達と買い物に行きました。Tomodachi to kaimono ni ikimashita.I went shopping with a friend.
- 大翔 Hirotoそれはいいですね。Sore wa ii desu ne.That sounds nice.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔さんは何をしましたか？Hiroto-san wa nani o shimashitaka?What did you do, Hiroto?
