How to Say ‘Where did you buy it?’ in Japanese
どこで買いましたか。
doko de kai mashi ta ka
[doh-koh de KAH-ee mah-shee tah kah]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Asking where something was bought is a natural follow-up that makes a compliment feel sincere, and Japanese people often answer happily with the shop name.
Phrase Breakdown
どこで
doko de
where (at what place)
'どこ' means where. 'で' marks the place where an action happens.
どこで会いますか。
Where shall we meet?
Words in this phrase
どこ
doko
[doh-koh]
where
Used to ask which place or body area is the problem.
どこがつらいですか。
Which area feels painful?
で
de
[de]
at; in
Indicates a location where an action takes place.
公園で遊びます。
I play at the park.
買いましたか。
kai mashi ta ka
did you buy (it)?
The polite past question form of '買う' (to buy). Raise your pitch slightly on 'ka'.
何を買いましたか。
What did you buy?
Words in this phrase
買い
kai
[KAH-ee]
buy
Stem of the verb 買う (to buy), used before polite endings.
パンを買います。
I buy bread.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite past stem
Part of the polite past ending in a verb phrase.
昨日は多くのことを学びました。
I learned many things yesterday.
た
ta
[tah]
past tense ending
This ending completes the polite past tense form.
空席がございまし た。
There were vacant seats.
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.
A席はありますか。
Are there A seats available?
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