あれは誰ですか？
are wa dare desu ka?
The English phrase "who is that?" can be translated into Japanese as あれは誰ですか？ (are wa dare desu ka?)
This phrase is used to ask for the identity of a person who is at a distance from the speaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The word dare serves as the interrogative pronoun for "who".
Which one should you use?
あれは誰ですか？ is used when the person is far from both you and the person you are talking to.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal way to say "Who is that person?", use あの方は誰ですか。 In informal situations, such as when speaking with friends or family, you can drop desu ka and use just あれは誰？ You may also use the informal expression あの人、誰？ to mean "Who is that person?", or あいつ、誰？ to mean "Who's that guy/gal?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 誰 (dare) is the interrogative pronoun meaning "who".
How do you pronounce it?
are wa dare desu ka?
Did you know?
- The word あいつ (aitsu) used in あいつ、誰？ is a contraction of あの奴 (ano yatsu). The word 奴 (yatsu) originally referred to a servant or slave in ancient Japan.
- In Japanese, the pronoun あれ (are) used in the phrase refers to an inanimate object, not a person. Using it for a human can sound quite rude or dehumanizing, as if you are pointing at a thing rather than a person.
- If you want to be polite, you should avoid using 誰 (dare) and instead use どなた (donata). While 誰 is a standard 'who', どなた is the respectful version used when asking about someone's identity in formal settings.
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are looking at a crowd from a window.
- 美咲 Misakiあれは誰ですか？Are wa dare desu ka?Who is that?
- 蓮 Renあれは僕の先生です。Are wa boku no sensei desu.That is my teacher.
- 美咲 Misakiそうですか。かっこいいですね。Sou desu ka. Kakkoii desu ne.I see. He is cool, isn't he?
- 蓮 Renはい、とても厳しい先生です。Hai, totemo kibishii sensei desu.Yes, he is a very strict teacher.
