What does “doko” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “doko” normally to mean ‘where’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “doko” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “doko”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “doko”.
- doko – 何処 (どこ) : an interrogative pronoun meaning ‘where’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘what place’ or ‘which place’.
Native speakers use this interrogative pronoun to make where questions in Japanese. So, its usage is similar to that of “where” in English. However, they are a bit different in terms of flexibility. Word orders in Japanese are very flexible, so the Japanese interrogative pronoun does not necessarily come to the beginning of a sentence to make a question.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this interrogative pronoun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
What does “doko” literally mean in Japanese?
The kanji expression of “doko” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 何 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘what’ in Japanese.
- 処 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘place’ in Japanese.
These two kanji characters tell us that “doko” literally means ‘what place’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meanings.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “doko” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “doko” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “where” in Japanese
kanojo no gakkou wa doko desu ka – 彼女の学校は何処ですか (かのじょのがっこうはどこですか)
Where is her school?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
- gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “gakkou” to make the subject in the sentence.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “doko” to make it sound polite.
- ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question.
This is a typical usage of “doko”. In the example, it works in the middle of the sentence to make the where question. Again, but it does not necessarily come to the beginning of a sentence. So, we can use it in the middle.
The sentence-ending particle, “ka”, is often used in Japanese questions, but not always necessary. Actually, we can make Japanese where questions only by using the interrogative pronoun, “doko”. It’s worth knowing, I think.
Example #2: another usage of “doko”
nippon de doko ni iki masu ka – 日本で何処に行きますか (にっぽんでどこにいきますか)
Where will you go in Japan?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- nippon – 日本 (にっぽん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “nippon” to say “in Japan” in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “doko” to ask where the listener will go in Japan.
- iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku“, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of the Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “iki” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “doko”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ni”, to literally mean ‘to where’ in Japanese. The combination has been translated as just “where”, though. Anyway, when we want to make where questions in Japanese, this interrogative pronoun is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “doko” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- doko – 何処 (どこ) : an interrogative pronoun meaning ‘where’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘what place’ or ‘which place’. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘what place’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meanings. Native speakers use this interrogative pronoun to make where questions in Japanese. So, the usage is similar to that of “where” in English. However, they are a bit different in terms of flexibility. Word orders in Japanese are very flexible, so the Japanese interrogative pronoun does not necessarily come to the beginning of a sentence.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
