どう思う？
dō omou?
In Japanese, "what do you think" is expressed as どう思う？ (dō omou?)
This phrase is a question used to ask for someone's opinion or thoughts about a particular matter.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of どう (how) and 思う (to think).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase どう思う？ is a straightforward and casual way to ask for an opinion and should be used when speaking to friends, family or people of lower social status. For a more polite approach when speaking to a superior or someone you do not know well, use どう思いますか？ In very formal situations, you can use the expression ご意見はいかがですか？, where adding the prefix ご before 意見 indicates politeness. If you specifically want to receive feedback or opinions, you can use ご感想をお聞かせください.
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask "what did you think?" in the past tense, use どう思いましたか？
How do you pronounce it?
dō omou?
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, even if you use the polite どう思いますか？, people may still avoid giving a direct 'yes' or 'no' to save face, often giving a vague response instead of a true opinion.
- Japanese has a distinct word 思い込み, derived from the verb 思う, which refers specifically to a stubborn misconception or a 'fixed idea'.
- In a very formal setting, instead of asking what someone thinks, you might use the verb 拝察する (haisatsu suru), which means 'to guess or surmise someone's feelings' out of respect.
Examples in context
- それどう思う？What do you think of it?This sentence is useful for asking what someone thinks of a specific thing.Tatoeba #9270736 by bunbuku, translation #464554 by lukaszpp
- トムはどう思う？What do you think, Tom?This sentence is useful for asking a specific person for their opinion.Tatoeba #2385312 by tommy_san, translation #1839614 by CK
- この靴どう思う？What do you think of these shoes?This sentence is useful for asking for an opinion regarding a specific object.Tatoeba #4052864 by small_snow, translation #4052284 by CK
- 社長、この新しい企画についてご意見はいかがですか？Director, what do you think about this new project?
- この報告書についてご感想をお聞かせください。Please give us your thoughts on this report.
- 今日の天気、どう思う？What do you think about today's weather?
- あの映画、どう思いますか？What do you think about that movie?
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Himari and Hiroto are discussing a new restaurant.
- 陽葵 Himari新しいカフェ、どう思う？Atarashii kafe, dou omou?What do you think about the new cafe?
- 大翔 Hirotoすごくおしゃれで、いいと思うよ。Sugoku oshare de, ii to omou yo.I think it's very stylish and nice.
- 陽葵 Himariじゃあ、今度一緒に行かない？Jaa, kondo issho ni ikanai?Then, why don't we go together sometime?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、ぜひ行こう！Un, zehi ikou!Yeah, let's definitely go!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
