How to Say ‘Um, do you have any children?’ in Japanese
あのう、お子さんはいますか。
ano u o ko san wa i masu ka
[ah-NOH oh oh koh sahn wah i mahs kah]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Starting with あのう softens a personal question, signalling a little hesitation so you don't sound nosy. お子さん is the polite word for someone else's children; for your own you'd say 子ども (kodomo).
Phrase Breakdown
あのう、
ano u
Um, excuse me...
A soft hesitation word. Use it before asking something politely. Stretch the final 'o': 'anoo'.
あのう、すみません。
Um, excuse me.
Words in this phrase
あの
ano
[ah-NOH]
um; excuse me
A hesitation word used to get someone's attention politely or to soften a question.
あのう、すみません。
Um, excuse me.
う
u
[oh]
(lengthened vowel)
Stretches the sound of あの into a softer, more hesitant 'ummm'.
あのう、ちょっといいですか。
Um, do you have a moment?
お子さんは
o ko san wa
As for (your) children
お子さん (okosan) is the polite word for someone else's child. は is the topic marker, pronounced 'wa'.
お子さんは何人ですか。
How many children do you have?
Words in this phrase
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
Makes 荷物 more polite in customer service language.
おを付けると丁寧です。
Adding お makes it polite.
子
ko
[koh]
child
子 means “child.” Combined with いい, it means “good child.”
あの子をいい子にする。
Make that child into a good child.
さん
san
[sahn]
Mr.; Ms.; polite suffix
さん is a polite suffix attached to people's roles or names, adding respect.
おじいさんがきました。
Grandfather came.
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker
Marks the topic; in 次は it means as for next or next, then.
次は何を見るか、教えてください。
Please tell me what we look at next.
いますか。
i masu ka
Do you have?
います (imasu) means 'to have' for people and animals. か (ka) makes it a question. Say it 'imas-ka'.
兄弟はいますか。
Do you have siblings?
Words in this phrase
い
i
[i]
be; exist
Part of 〜ている, showing an ongoing action or continuing state.
お待ちし てい ます。
I am waiting.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A polite ending added to verbs in everyday formal speech.
資料を送りますと伝えました。
I said that I will send the materials.
か
ka
[kah]
question particle
「か」で依頼を質問の形にします。語尾を上げると自然です。
手順を説明してもらえますか。
Could you explain the procedure?
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