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
o
[oh]
object marker
Marks the thing being acted on; here it marks the job being searched for.
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.
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
te
[teh]
and; -te form
A linking form used to connect verbs to following grammar, such as progressive or polite forms.
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
i
[ee]
be; ongoing state part
Part of the pattern ています, which expresses an ongoing action or current state.
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.
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
ka
[kah]
question marker
Placed at the end of a sentence to indicate a question in polite Japanese.
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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