wo
/voː/
The German word for "where" is wo.
wo is an adverb used to ask about a static location, meaning "at or in what place". In more formal contexts, you can use the phrase Wo befindet sich…? to ask "Where is… located?", or use the very polite Könnten Sie mir sagen, wo sich… befindet? for "Could you tell me where… is located?" For informal settings, you can ask Weißt du, wo sich… befindet? which means "Do you know where… is located?"
Meaning: at or in what place (adv)
Which one should you use?
Use wo when asking about a static location. Do not use it to ask about movement toward a destination. For movement toward a place, you should use wohin.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an interrogative adverb, wo does not change its form based on the gender or number of the subject it refers to.
How do you pronounce it?
/voː/
Did you know?
- In some southern German dialects, you may hear wo used as a relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which' in casual speech.
- While wo asks about a place, the phrase woher is used in the common greeting Woher kommen Sie?, which literally asks 'From where do you come?'
- The German word wo is a direct linguistic cousin to the English 'where', as both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root.
Examples in context
- Wo ist das Klo?Where is the bathroom?This example shows how to use wo to ask for the location of a bathroom.Tatoeba #976178 by Esperantostern, translation #2136 by brauliobezerra
- Wo ist das Tor?Where is the gate?This example shows how to use wo to ask for the location of a gate.Tatoeba #1397546 by Manfredo, translation #687650 by lukaszpp
- Wo ist der Zug?Where is the train?This example shows how to use wo to ask for the location of a train.Tatoeba #1990116 by Manfredo, translation #1103022 by jamessilver
- Wo befindet sich der Bahnhof?Where is the train station located?
- Wo kann ich ein gutes Restaurant finden?Where can I find a good restaurant?
- Könnten Sie mir sagen, wo sich die nächste Bank befindet?Could you tell me where the nearest bank is located?
- Wo ist das nächste Café?Where is the nearest café?
- Wo kann ich hier Parkplätze finden?Where can I find parking spaces here?
- Weißt du, wo sich der nächste Supermarkt befindet?Do you know where the nearest supermarket is located?
- Wo liegt der Rhein?Where is the Rhine located?
- Wo steckt eigentlich der Schlüssel?Where is the key, actually?
- 5832 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Laura are looking for a cafe in the city.
- FelixWo ist das Café?Where is the cafe?
- LauraEs ist dort vorne links.It is over there on the left.
- FelixUnd wo parken wir das Auto?And where do we park the car?
- LauraIm Parkhaus nebenan.In the parking garage next door.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “where” translations and entries wo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
