国籍はどちらですか？
kokuseki wa dochira desu ka?
To ask "what is your nationality?" in Japanese, use 国籍はどちらですか？ (kokuseki wa dochira desu ka?)
This phrase is a question used to ask which country a person is a legal citizen of.
Which one should you use?
While 国籍はどちらですか？ is standard, you may also encounter the formal phrase お国はどちらですか？ to ask the same thing.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
国籍はどちらですか？ is a formal and polite way to ask about someone's nationality, making it suitable for official or professional settings. The phrase お国はどちらですか？ is also a formal way to ask this question. In contrast, using 国籍は何ですか？ is considered more informal and direct.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle は marks 国籍 (nationality) as the topic of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
kokuseki wa dochira desu ka?
Did you know?
- While 国籍 refers to legal citizenship, お国 in the phrase お国はどちらですか？ can often refer to a person's hometown or prefecture if the speaker already knows the person is Japanese.
- The kanji 籍 in 国籍 refers to a 'register' or 'record', implying that nationality is something officially written in a government ledger.
- The word 国 (country) is used in the phrase, but in historical contexts, it referred to the provinces of ancient Japan rather than independent sovereign states.
Examples in context
- 国籍はどちらですか？kokuseki wa dochira desu ka?What is your nationality?
- 失礼ですが、国籍はどちらですか？shitsurei desu ga, kokuseki wa dochira desu ka?Excuse me, but what is your nationality?
- 書類に、国籍はどちらですか？と書いてあります。shorui ni, kokuseki wa dochira desu ka? to kaite arimasu.The form asks, "What is your nationality?"
Example conversation
Two people are meeting for the first time at an international event.
- 陽葵 Himariはじめまして。国籍はどちらですか？Hajimemashite. Kokuseki wa dochira desu ka?Nice to meet you. What is your nationality?
- 陽太 Yota私はアメリカ国籍です。Watashi wa Amerika kokuseki desu.I have American nationality.
- 陽葵 Himariそうなんですね。よろしくお願いします。Sō nan desu ne. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.I see. Pleased to meet you.
- 陽太 Yotaこちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Likewise, pleased to meet you.
