How to Say ‘What's the matter?’ in Japanese
どうしましたか。
dou shi mashi ta ka
[doh shee mah-shee ta kah]
💬 Usage Tip: It's literally "what happened?", asked in past form. In Japanese it simply means "how can I help?"
Phrase Breakdown
どう
dou
[doh]
how
Used to ask about method, manner, or what should be done.
どう言えばいいか、簡単に教えてください。
Please tell me simply how I should say it.
し
shi
[shee]
do
し is the stem of する, meaning to do.
まいにちべんきょうし ます。
I study every day.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite past marker
まし is part of the polite past form ました.
働きましたのましは丁寧な過去です。
The 'mashi' in hatarakimashita is polite past.
た
ta
[ta]
past tense
Indicates a completed action.
映画を見た。
I saw a movie.
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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