How to Say "You Live Somewhere" in Japanese

どこかに住んでいます

dokoka ni sundeimasu

The Japanese phrase for "you live somewhere" is どこかに住んでいます (dokoka ni sundeimasu).

This phrase is used to state that a person resides in an unspecified location.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase consists of どこかに, which literally means "to somewhere" or "in somewhere" and 住んでいます, which means "is living".

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For informal situations with friends or family, you can use the dictionary form どこかに住んでいる.

How does it change in a sentence?

The particle に is required after the location to indicate the place of residence. To turn the statement into a question, such as "do you live somewhere?", add the particle か to the end of the sentence.

How do you pronounce it?

dokoka ni sundeimasu

Did you know?

Using the word 'you' (あなた) in the sentence どこかに住んでいます can make you sound like a detective interrogating a suspect in a crime novel.
When asking someone where they live, it is common to use どちら instead of どこ to be more polite and indirect.
In Japanese, the verb 住む is used for long-term residence, but if you are staying 'somewhere' temporarily, like in a hotel, you must use 泊まる instead.

Examples in context

どこかに住んでいます。
dokoka ni sunde imasu.
I live somewhere.
彼はどこかに住んでいます。
kare wa dokoka ni sunde imasu.
He lives somewhere.
彼女はどこかに住んでいます。
kanojo wa dokoka ni sunde imasu.
She lives somewhere.

Example conversation

Kenta and Yui are talking about a missing friend.

健太 Kenta

彼がどこにいるか分かりますか。
Kare ga doko ni iru ka wakarimasu ka.
Do you know where he is?
結衣 Yui

いいえ、でも彼はどこかに住んでいます。
Iie, demo kare wa dokoka ni sunde imasu.
No, but he lives somewhere.
健太 Kenta

それは本当だと思いますか。
Sore wa hontou da to omoimasu ka.
Do you think that's true?
結衣 Yui

はい、きっとそうでしょう。
Hai, kitto sou deshou.
Yes, I'm sure he does.