彼はどこですか？
Kare wa doko desu ka?
The phrase "where is he?" in Japanese is expressed as 彼はどこですか？ (Kare wa doko desu ka?)
The phrase 彼はどこですか？ is a polite and standard way to ask for the current location of a male person.
What does it mean word for word?
彼 (kare) means "he", while どこ (doko) means "where". The particle は (wa) serves as a topic marker, marking 彼 as the topic of the sentence.
Which one should you use?
While 彼はどこですか？ is a standard polite form, 彼はどこにいますか？ is another polite way to ask the question and 彼はどこにいるの？ is a common informal version used among friends. For an even more casual approach, the shortened version 彼どこ？ can be used.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 彼はどこですか？, the particle は marks 彼 (he) as the topic of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
Kare wa doko desu ka?
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word 彼 (kare) can also mean 'boyfriend' depending on the context. Using it to refer to a random man might sound strangely intimate or romantic to a listener.
- Japanese often uses different verbs for 'to be' depending on whether the subject is a living thing or an inanimate object, which is why います (imasu) is used for 'he'.
- If you are asking about a person of higher status, such as a boss, you should never use the word 彼 (kare). Instead, you would refer to them by their title, like 社長 (shachou) for 'president'.
Examples in context
- 彼はどこですか？Kare wa doko desu ka?Where is he?
- すみません、彼はどこですか？Sumimasen, kare wa doko desu ka?Excuse me, where is he?
Example conversation
Yui is looking for her brother at home.
- 結衣 Yui蓮さん、彼はどこですか？Ren-san, kare wa doko desu ka?Ren, where is he?
- 蓮 Ren彼は部屋にいますよ。Kare wa heya ni imasu yo.He is in the room.
- 結衣 Yui本当ですか？ありがとうございます。Hontō desu ka? Arigatō gozaimasu.Really? Thank you.
- 蓮 Renどういたしまして。Dōitashimashite.You're welcome.
