How do you say "Where is ~?" in Japanese?

"Where is ~?" in Japanese is "〜はどこですか。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

What does "〜はどこですか。" mean in English?

"〜はどこですか。" means "Where is ~?" in English. Usage tip: Template phrase. Put the place in the blank: [地下鉄の駅はどこですか。]

📍❓

How to Say ‘Where is ~?’ in Japanese

〜はどこですか。

wa doko desu ka

[wah doh-koh dess kah]

💬 Usage Tip: Template phrase. Put the place in the blank: [地下鉄の駅はどこですか。]

🇯🇵 In Japan: For stations, people may answer with landmarks rather than street names, since many small streets don’t have names.

Phrase Breakdown

は

[wah]

topic marker ‘as for ~’

Marks the topic of the sentence. In direction questions, it highlights what place you’re asking about.

Example

地下鉄の駅はどこですか。

Where is the subway station?

どこ

doko

[doh-koh]

where

Used inside the pattern 〜はどこですか to ask the location of something.

Example

出口はどこですか。

Where is the exit?

ですか

desu ka

is it?; (polite question ending)

です makes the sentence polite; か turns it into a question. Often used when asking for information politely.

Example

ここは学校ですか。

Is this a school?

Words in this phrase

です

desu

[dess]

is/are (polite)

Polite linking verb used to describe or identify something. Makes the question polite together with か.

Example

地下鉄の駅はここです。

The subway station is here.

か

[kah]

question particle

Turns 〜です into a polite question 〜ですか.

Example

この道でいいですか。

Is this road/street okay (the right way)?

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