どう — How

Meaning & Usage

Open any Japanese phrasebook and どう (dou) appears within the first few pages — and for good reason. As an adverb meaning "how" or "in what way," it covers a surprising range of everyday situations: checking on conditions, gathering opinions, and making polite offers.

The word's core job is to ask for an evaluation or assessment. When you say 日本語にほんごはどうですか, you're asking the other person to give their impression of how Japanese study is going. That's different from asking why something happened or requesting step-by-step instructions — it simply means "what's the situation?" or "what do you make of it?"

One of the most common uses is the phrase どうですか, which does several jobs in daily conversation:

• Ask how something is going: 仕事しごとはどうですか (How is work?)
• Offer something politely: コーヒーはどうですか (Would you like some coffee?)
• Ask for an opinion after an experience: この映画えいがはどうでしたか (How was this movie?)
• Check on someone's wellbeing: 体からだはどうですか (How are you feeling?)

どう itself is neither formal nor casual — what comes after it sets the tone. どうですか works with anyone: coworkers, teachers, strangers. どう？ alone is reserved for close friends or family. Default to です until you know the relationship well.

One distinction trips up many beginners: どう asks "what's the situation?" not "what are the steps?" Asking for directions, for example, calls for どうやって行いきますか — not どう alone. When the question involves a specific method or process, reach for どうやって or どのように instead.

Built from the same root, どうしましたか means "What happened?" or "What's wrong?" You'll hear it constantly — a friend noticing your tired face, a nurse at the clinic, a convenience store clerk when you look lost. Learn both sides of this exchange: how to ask it and how to answer it.

Structure & Formation

どう is an adverb and interrogative word. Its form never changes. Here are the main patterns at the N5 level:

どう always appears before the verb or copula (です / でした). The topic comes first, marked by は; then どう introduces the question. Suggestions follow the same order — the proposed item or action goes before は.

どう can also appear in embedded clauses — for example, どうか分わかりません (I'm not sure how things stand) — but that pattern sits outside the core N5 scope.

Example Sentences

Asking About Current Conditions

Asking About Past Experiences

Asking for Opinions

Making Polite Offers and Suggestions

Asking What Happened or What to Do

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using どう When Asking About a Specific Method

❌ 東京駅とうきょうえきにどう行いきますか。

✅ 東京駅とうきょうえきにどうやって行いきますか。

When you want to ask about the method or means of doing something — directions, step-by-step instructions — use どうやって (dou yatte). Think of どう as "what's the overall situation?" and どうやって as "by what process?" The difference is subtle but native speakers hear it immediately.

Mistake 2: Confusing どう With どうして

❌ どう学校がっこうに来きませんでしたか。 (Intending: "Why didn't you come to school?")

✅ どうして学校がっこうに来きませんでしたか。

どう means "how" (in what state). どうして means "why" (for what reason). These are different question words entirely. When asking for a reason or cause, use どうして or なぜ.

Mistake 3: Using Casual どう With Superiors

❌ どう？ (said to a teacher or boss)

✅ どうですか。

Dropping the polite ending turns どう into something you'd say only to a close friend or child. With a teacher, boss, or anyone you don't know well, always attach ですか or the appropriate verb form.

Mistake 4: Omitting the Topic Marker は

❌ 仕事しごとどうですか。

✅ 仕事しごとはどうですか。

The topic marker は must follow the noun. Without it, the sentence sounds incomplete. は signals what you're asking about before どうですか picks up the question.

Mistake 5: Using どう Directly Before a Noun

❌ どう人ひとですか。 (Intending: "What kind of person is he?")

✅ どんな人ひとですか。

どう is an adverb — it modifies verbs, not nouns. To ask "what kind of [noun]," use どんな (donna). It belongs to the same word family as どう but is designed specifically to precede nouns.

Cultural Notes

In Japanese hospitality culture — omotenashi — どうですか is the default offer. A host presenting food, tea, or a seat almost always uses it. The phrase invites without pressuring. Reply with ありがとうございます、いただきます and you've handled it perfectly. Use どうですか yourself when offering something and you'll immediately sound more natural.

どうしましたか carries real weight. Hearing it from a friend, coworker, or even a shopkeeper means they've noticed something is off and want to help. You can respond honestly or soften things with ちょっと... — that trailing hesitation is completely natural and buys you time to find your words.

Three fixed phrases share どう's root and should be memorized whole. どうぞ (please, here you are, go ahead) accompanies any offer or invitation. どうも is the casual all-purpose thanks or greeting. どうぞよろしくお願ねがいします is your go-to when meeting someone formally for the first time. Spotting the どう root across all three gives you a feel for the underlying nuance: "however things may be" or "in any case."

Related Grammar Points

• いつ — When: Complete Guide to Asking About Time in Japanese (Grammar N5)
• Na-Adjective (な形容詞) — Complete Usage Guide (Grammar N5)
• もう — Already, Not Anymore, One More (Grammar N5)
• まだ — Still, Not Yet (Grammar N5)
• どこ — Where (Location Question Word) (Grammar N5)
• いくつ — How Many / How Old (Grammar N5)

JLPT Tips

On the N5 exam, どう appears most often in listening comprehension. Short dialogues will have one speaker asking about the other's experience, health, impression, or plans. Pay attention to the verb that follows: どうでしたか is past experience; どうですか is present state or an offer.

In grammar and vocabulary sections, watch for fill-in-the-blank questions that test どう against similar words. The rule is simple: どう modifies verbs and precedes ですか; どんな modifies nouns. If the blank comes before a noun like 人ひと or 映画えいが, the answer is almost certainly どんな. If the blank precedes します or ですか, it's どう.

どうしましたか appears repeatedly in N5 listening — especially in clinic scenes, conversations between friends, or any dialogue where someone seems upset or unwell. Practice recognizing it quickly and know the common responses: 頭あたまが痛いたいです (I have a headache) is a typical answer.

One last note: どうぞ and どうも show up often in listening passages. Don't analyze them grammatically — treat them as fixed vocabulary. どうぞ goes with offers and invitations; どうも covers casual thanks and greetings. Recognizing the social situation is faster than parsing grammar under exam conditions.