何してるの？
nani shiteru no?
In Japanese, "what are you doing?" is expressed as 何してるの？ (nani shiteru no?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about their current activity.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 何 (what), the continuous form of suru (to do) and the particle の which adds a soft, inquisitive tone.
Which one should you use?
While 何してるの？ is a standard casual way to ask the question, 何してるのかな？ carries a more curious and friendly nuance. In very casual speech, the particle の can be dropped to say 何してる？
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 何してるの？ is informal and should be used with friends, family or people of lower social status. For a formal way to ask the question, use 何をなさっているのですか？
How does it change in a sentence?
To express this phrase in a polite way, you can use 何していますか？
How do you pronounce it?
nani shiteru no?
Did you know?
- While 何してるの？ asks about an action, if you say it with a certain tone, it can be used to mean 'What is wrong with you?' or 'What is your problem?' during an argument.
- While English uses 'doing' for both a current action and a profession, 何してるの？ is strictly for the immediate moment and cannot be used to ask someone's job.
- In casual conversation, you might hear people say 何してんの？ instead of the standard 何してるの？ The る sound often collapses into a nasal ん in rapid, colloquial speech.
Examples in context
- お忙しいですか？何をしているんですか？Are you busy? What are you doing?
- 何をなさっているのですか？What are you doing?
- 今、何してるの？ima, nani shiteru no?What are you doing now?
- 夜中に何してるの？yonaka ni nani shiteru no?What are you doing in the middle of the night?
- 一人で何してるの？hitori de nani shiteru no?What are you doing alone?
Example conversation
Yui calls Yota on the phone to see what he is up to.
- 結衣 Yui陽太、今何してるの？Yota, ima nani shiteru no?Yota, what are you doing now?
- 陽太 Yotaゲームをしているよ。Gēmu o shite iru yo.I am playing a game.
- 結衣 Yuiそうなんだ。私も暇だよ。Sō nanda. Watashi mo hima da yo.I see. I'm free too.
- 陽太 Yotaじゃあ、一緒に遊ぼうか？Jā, issho ni asobō ka?Then, shall we hang out together?
