How to ask where things are with “Wa doko desu ka(どこですか)” in Japanese (2024)

Hey guys welcome back to another sensational online Japanese lesson from Bondlingo.

Today we are going to be looking at the phrase “~wa doko desu ka?”. This will let us ask things like “Where are the restaurants?” or more classy things like “Where is the toilet?”. This is an absolutely fundamental phrase to know in Japanese and is so important to learn at the beginning of your journey.

Where is the train station? Using はどこですか in Japanese.

We are going to be breaking today’s lesson down into 5 segments.

1. What is “Wa Doko Desu Ka”? We will learn about the meaning and where you can use this phrase.
2. How can I use はどこですか in Japanese? We will go through how to build sentences with this in Japanese to ensure you are able to use it for yourself.
3. Example sentences with Wa Doko Desu Ka. We will look at many example sentences to make sure you really understand the grammar pattern.
4. A technique for mastering Wa Doko Desu Ka. We will learn a technique that will ensure you are able to use はどこですか effortlessly in conversation
5. A summary of today’s lesson. We will offer a small summary of today’s lesson to give you something to reflect on and make sure you haven’t missed anything.

So now we know what is to come let’s get into today’s online Japanese lesson and learn all about はどこですか.

What is “Wa Doko Desu Ka”?

We will learn about the meaning and where you can use this phrase

So “Wa Doko Desu Ka” はどこですか is used in Japanese to ask where thing are. For example you may want to ask things like:

Where can I get a bus?

Where is the best restaurant around here?

Where are my friends?

All of these phrases are really simple to put together with the “Wa Doko Desu Ka” はどこですか structure.

In the next segment we will break down the grammar and try to build a sentence of our own. If you are just starting out on your Japanese journey then this phrase is an absolute must for you.

How can I use はどこですか in Japanese?

Learn how to build sentences with this in Japanese to ensure you are able to use it for yourself.

Let’s break down this sentence first.

X　は　どこ　です　か
X wa doko desu ka
Where is X?

So this is the most common structure for sentences in with はどこですか form.

X – The subject you want to find out the location of.　

は　- The topic marker to mark what you are talking about.

どこ　- Doko means “where”.

です　- Desu is used at the end of the sentence to mean “is” “are”.

か – Ka is the question particle to indicate you are asking a question.

Let’s try and make a sentence of our own using this structure now.

駅はどこですか
EKI WA DOKO DESU KA
Where is the train station

In this sentence we have just replaced the X with the thing we want to know the location of. So now we have learnt the basics let’s look at some more example sentences.

Example sentences with Wa Doko Desu Ka.

Let’s look at example sentences to make sure you really understand the grammar pattern.

If you want to ask where places are you can use sentences like the following:

図書館はどこですか
TOSHOKAN WA DOKO DESU KA
Where is the library

映画館はどこですか
EIGAKAN WA DOKO DESU KA
Where is the cinema

トイレはどこですか
TOIREI WA DOKO DESU KA
Where is the toilet

If you want to ask where items are located you could as a question like the following:

私の犬はどこですか
WATASHI NO INU WA DOKO DESU KA
Where is my dog?

Great, now we have some fantastic examples under our belt. Let’s look at a fantastic study technique to ensure you do not forget this pattern.

A technique for mastering Wa Doko Desu Ka.

Learn a technique that will ensure you are able to use はどこですか effortlessly in conversation

OK so what do we need to look at next? Isn’t it obvious? A great little technique you can use to practice today’s phrase.

1. First you should write out the pattern of はどこですか and say it to yourself over and over again
2. Next you should write out 10 – 12 sentences per day of your own
3. Do this for the next 3 days learning different new words to ask about the location of along the way

With this technique, not only will you master today’s phrase, you will also learn lots of new useful vocabulary too. Putting this amount of work into the phrase will not only allow you to master it thoroughly, you will also be able to use it quickly in conversation too, how cool!

Make sure that you do not skip this part of the lesson as it is really important to implement a strong routine once you have done this.

A summary of today’s lesson.

A Small summary of today’s lesson to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

Here is a quick rundown of what we have learnt.

The structure is as follows:

X – The subject you want to find out the location of.　

は　- The topic marker to mark what you are talking about.

どこ　- Doko means “where”.

です　- Desu is used at the end of the sentence to mean “is” “are”.

か – Ka is the question particle to indicate you are asking a question.

You can use this phrase to ask about the location of pretty much anything.

Remember to ensure to use today’s study tip to get the most out of today/s lesson. Without really getting to grips with the study tip it will be very hard moving forward to remember.

So guys, we really hope that you have enjoyed today’s online Japanese lesson from Bondlingo. If you have any more questions or suggestions on future content that you would like us to write about please do get in touch and let us know.

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