🔍

How to Say ‘Are you looking for?’ in Japanese

を探していますか

o sagashi te i masu ka

[oh sah-gah-shee teh ee mahss kah]

💬 Usage Tip: 探しています literally means am searching, but for jobs it often means am looking for in a broad sense. The か at the end turns it into a polite question.

Phrase Breakdown

を

[oh]

object marker

Marks the thing being acted on; here it marks the job being searched for.

Example

新しい分野を探していると話しました。

I said that I am looking for a new field.

探し

sagashi

[sah-gah-shee]

search for

The stem of 探す, meaning to look for or search for something such as a job opportunity.

Example

自分に合う会社を探し続けています。

I continue searching for a company that suits me.

て

[teh]

and; -te form

A linking form used to connect verbs to following grammar, such as progressive or polite forms.

Example

仕事を探している人と話しました。

I spoke with a person who is looking for work.

い

[ee]

be; ongoing state part

Part of the pattern ています, which expresses an ongoing action or current state.

Example

今も情報を集めているところです。

I am still in the process of gathering information now.

ます

masu

[mahss]

polite verb ending

Makes the expression polite, suitable for professional conversations.

Example

説明するときはますを使うと自然です。

When explaining something, using the polite ending sounds natural.

か

[kah]

question marker

Placed at the end of a sentence to indicate a question in polite Japanese.

Example

面接で希望はありますかと聞かれました。

In the interview, I was asked, 'Do you have any preferences?'

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