Which one should you use?
While どこの学校に通っていますか？ is a standard way to ask, you can adjust the level of politeness. どこの学校に通ってる？ uses the shortened form kayotteru? and is used in casual conversation with peers or people younger than you. For a much more formal and respectful tone, you can use どちらの学校に通っていらっしゃいますか？, which replaces doko with dochira and uses the honorific irasshaimasu.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The standard form is どこの学校に通っていますか？ If you are speaking to peers or people younger than you, you may use the informal どこの学校に通ってる？ To be much more formal or respectful, use どちらの学校に通っていらっしゃいますか？ When stating your own school, the formal way to say "I am going to [school name]" is Watashi wa [school name] ni kayotte imasu, whereas the informal way to say "I go to [school name]" is [School name] ni iku.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase どこの学校に通っていますか？, the particle に (ni) is used to indicate the destination or the place one is commuting to.
How do you pronounce it?
doko no gakkō ni kayotte imasu ka?
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, asking どこの学校 (doko no gakkō) is often a way to determine a person's social standing or 'rank' based on the prestige of the institution.
- In Japan, students may answer this question by naming the 'faculty' or department, such as 文学部 (bungakubu) for the faculty of letters, rather than just the university name.
- In Japan, the word 通う (kayou) specifically implies a regular, repetitive commute, such as traveling back and forth between home and school every day.
Examples in context
- どこの学校に通っていますか？Doko no gakkou ni kayotte imasu ka?What school do you go to?
- すみません、どこの学校に通っていますか？Sumimasen, doko no gakkou ni kayotte imasu ka?Excuse me, what school do you go to?
- 失礼ですが、どこの学校に通っていますか？Shitsurei desu ga, doko no gakkou ni kayotte imasu ka?Pardon me, but what school do you attend?
Example conversation
Misaki meets Hiroto for the first time at a community event.
- 美咲 Misaki初めまして。どこの学校に通っていますか？Hajimemashite. Doko no gakkou ni kayotte imasu ka?Nice to meet you. What school do you go to?
- 大翔 Hiroto近くの大学に通っています。Chikaku no daigaku ni kayotte imasu.I go to a university nearby.
- 美咲 Misakiそうなんですね。大学生なんですね。Sou nan desu ne. Daigakusei nan desu ne.I see. So you are a university student.
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、そうです。Hai, sou desu.Yes, that's right.
