How to Say ‘What do (you) do?’ in Japanese
どうする？
dou suru
[doh soo-roo]
💬 Usage Tip: [どうする？] is literally "how do?" and is a very common way to ask "What should we do?" or "What do you do?" Japanese often uses [どう] "how" where English uses "what" for decisions.
Phrase Breakdown
どう
dou
[doh]
how; what will you do?
This 'どう' is the question word used to ask what action to take next, especially in a game situation.
相手が来たよ、どうする？
The opponent is coming—what will you do?
する
suru
[soo-roo]
to do
In the pattern 'どうする？', する means 'do'—asking what choice/action you will make.
せまいときは、どうする？ パスする？
When it's tight, what will you do? Pass?
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