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How to Say ‘Where do I throw away trash?’ in Japanese

ゴミはどこに捨てますか。

gomi wa doko ni sute masu ka

[GOH-mee wah doko ni soo-TEH mahs kah]

🇯🇵 In Japan: Trash rules in Japan are strict and vary by office and town. Asking rather than guessing is exactly what colleagues hope a newcomer will do.

Phrase Breakdown

ゴミは

gomi wa

as for the trash

'Gomi' (trash) plus 'は' (wa, topic marker).

Example

ゴミは明日出します。

I'll take out the trash tomorrow.

Words in this phrase

ゴミ

gomi

[GOH-mee]

trash; garbage

General word for waste; often written in katakana.

Example

ゴミを出してください。

Please take out the trash.

は

[wah]

topic marker; as for

Marks 'today' as the topic. Written は but pronounced 'wa.'

Example

本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。

Thank you for giving me your time today.

どこに捨てますか。

doko ni sute masu ka

where do I throw it away?

'Doko ni' (to where) plus 'sutemasu ka' (do I throw away). Rising pitch at the end.

Example

この箱はどこに捨てますか。

Where do I throw away this box?

Words in this phrase

どこ

doko

[doko]

where

A question word asking about a place or location.

Example

どこに行きますか？

Where are you going?

に

[ni]

to; into

Particle used before なる to show a change into a new state.

Example

気持ちが楽になりました。

I felt more at ease.

捨て

sute

[soo-TEH]

throw away

Stem of 捨てる, to discard or dispose of something.

Example

古い紙を捨てます。

I throw away old paper.

ます

masu

[mahs]

polite present/future ending

ます makes a verb polite in present or future statements.

Example

予約します。

I will make a reservation.

か

[kah]

question marker

Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.

Example

A席はありますか。

Are there A seats available?

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