Shusshin wa doko desu ka: a Japanese phrase to ask where are you from?

What does “shusshin wa doko desu ka” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “shusshin wa doko desu ka” to ask ‘where are you from?’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners or those who are living in Japan know this phrase well because native speakers sometimes use it in conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this phrase in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through an example sentence. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “shusshin wa doko desu ka” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “shusshin wa doko desu ka”
• Breakdown of “shusshin wa doko desu ka”
  • Example: how to ask “where are you from?” in Japanese
• Goshusshin: the polite version of “shusshin”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “shusshin wa doko desu ka”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “shusshin wa doko desu ka”.

• shusshin wa doko desu ka – 出身はどこですか (しゅっしんはどこですか) : a Japanese phrase for ‘where are you from?’

Again, but native speakers use this phrase to ask ‘where are you from?’ Sometimes they ask which country the listener is from and sometimes they ask which group the listener used to belong to.

The definition and meaning are not that difficult, I think. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its components in detail, one by one.

Breakdown of “shusshin wa doko desu ka”

Grammatically, “shusshin wa doko desu ka” consists of the following five components:

• shusshin – 出身 (しゅっしん) : a noun meaning ‘hometown’ or ‘home country’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can also mean ‘group which someone used to belong to’ or ‘school which someone graduated from’.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the phrase, this works more like a topic marker after “shusshin” to put a focus on it.
• doko – どこ : an indefinite demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘where’ in Japanese. This is widely used to make where questions in Japanese.
• 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 phrase, this is used after “doko” to make it sound polite.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. This is often used with the pitch raised. As its definition suggests, this is used at the end of the phrase to make the question.

From these five components, we can understand that “shusshin wa doko desu ka” is literally a Japanese polite expression for ‘where is the hometown?’ As Japanese sentences and phrases tend to lack words referring directly to the speaker and the listeners, the meaning of this phrase is often interpreted as ‘where are you from?’ or such.

When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about meanings of phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shusshin wa doko desu ka” through the detailed check above.

Then, let me explain how to use this phrase through the example sentence below.

Example: how to ask “where are you from?” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• sumimasen – すみません : a Japanese phrase for ‘excuse me’.

This is a typical usage of “shusshin wa doko desu ka”. Japanese native speakers often use it after the phrase, “sumimasen”, like this example. This additional phrase helps us to be more polite in various situations.

The phrase explained so far is basically polite enough. In more formal situations, however, native speakers tend to use a more polite expression. Let me explain it in the following paragraphs.

Goshusshin: the polite version of “shusshin”

Below is the more polite expression.

• goshusshin wa doko desu ka – ご出身はどこですか (ごしゅっしんはどこですか) : the polite version of “shusshin wa doko desu ka” which asks ‘where are you from?’ in Japanese.

“Go” added here is a prefix widely used to make its following word polite. In this phrase, it is used before the noun, “shusshin”, to make it sound polite. Japanese native speakers often use this polite version to ask someone’s hometown, the group someone used to belong to, or the school someone graduated from. When they mention theirs, on the other hand, they just say “shusshin”. They don’t have to show their respects to their own selves.

Sometimes, Japanese native speakers use “dochira” instead. It is an indefinite demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘which’ in Japanese, but often considered more polite than “doko”. So, a more, more polite expression can be as follows.

• goshusshin wa dochira desu ka – ご出身はどちらですか (ごしゅっしんはどちらですか) : a more polite expression of “goshusshin wa doko desu ka”.

Japanese people tend to use this expression in very formal situations. Perhaps, however, asking someone’s hometown or the school someone graduated from itself could be impolite in such situations, so we need to be careful.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the phrase, “shusshin wa doko desu ka”, in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained its polite versions. Let me summarize them as follows.

• shusshin wa doko desu ka – 出身はどこですか (しゅっしんはどこですか) : a Japanese phrase for ‘where are you from?’ From its components, we can understand that this is literally a Japanese polite phrase for ‘where is the hometown?’ Normally, this meaning can be interpreted as ‘where are you from?’
• goshusshin wa doko desu ka – ご出身はどこですか (ごしゅっしんはどこですか) : the polite version of “shusshin wa doko desu ka” which asks ‘where are you from?’ in Japanese. “Go” added here is a prefix used to make its following word polite. In this expression, it is used to make “shusshin” sound polite.
• goshusshin wa dochira desu ka – ご出身はどちらですか (ごしゅっしんはどちらですか) : a more polite expression of “goshusshin wa doko desu ka”. “Dochira” is an indefinite demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘where’ in Japanese, but often considered more polite than “Doko”.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.