How to Say ‘What’s the matter?’ in Japanese
どうしましたか。
dou shi mashi ta ka
[doh shee]
💬 Usage Tip: [どうしましたか] is a set phrase for asking what's wrong, not a literal question about what someone did. You can reuse the same pattern in many situations when something seems off.
Phrase Breakdown
どう
dou
[doh]
how / what
In this full question, どう sets up “what happened / what’s the matter?”
どうしましたか、音が気になりますか。
What’s wrong—does the sound bother you?
しました
shi
did; has done (polite past)
Polite past form of する. In 「どうしましたか」 it’s a set phrase meaning “What happened?” / “What’s the matter?”
何をしましたか。
What did you do?
Words in this phrase
し
shi
[shee]
did (polite past)
Verb component of しました (“did”). Together with どう it becomes the fixed phrase どうしましたか.
どうしましたか、急に静かになりましたね。
What happened? It suddenly got quiet, didn’t it?
どう
dou
[doh]
how / what
In this full question, どう sets up “what happened / what’s the matter?”
どうしましたか、音が気になりますか。
What’s wrong—does the sound bother you?
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