Who are you in Japanese: dare desu ka, explained in detail

How to say “who are you?” in Japanese

Japanese native speakers would use the expression, “dare desu ka”, to say ‘who are you?’ in Japanese. This is one of the most well-known expressions among Japanese learners, I think. Depending on the situation, however, it can sound casual, impolite, or perhaps rude. In this blog post, therefore, I will explain how to say it politely after explaining “dare desu ka” in detail based on its components. My explanations would help Japanese learners to avoid awkward conversations with first-met people. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “dare desu ka”
• Components of “dare desu ka”
• Example #1: how to say “who is he?” in Japanese
• Example #2: how to say “who are YOU?” in Japanese
• How to say “who are you?” politely in Japanese
• How to say “who are you?” more politely in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “dare desu ka”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “dare desu ka”.

• dare desu ka – 誰ですか (だれですか) : a Japanese expression for ‘who are you?’, ‘who is he?’, ‘who is she?’, or perhaps ‘who are they?’

As you can see here, it does not always mean ‘who are you?’ Its meaning can vary depending on the situation and context. To understand this point clearly, let me explain its components in detail, one by one.

Components of “dare desu ka”

Below are the components used in “dare desu ka”.

• dare – 誰 (だれ) : an indefinite pronoun meaning ‘who’ in Japanese. It is quite similar to the English pronoun. It can also be used alone to make the one word question, ‘who?’
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, it is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the expression, it is put after the pronoun, “dare”, to make it sound polite.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle put at the end of a sentence to make a question. Normally, it is used with the pitch raised. As its definition suggests, it is put at the end of the expression to make the question.

From these three components, we can understand that “dare desu ka” is the polite expression of “dare” and means ‘who?’ in a polite way in Japanese. This expression doesn’t contain any word referring to ‘you’, ‘him’, ‘her’, or ‘them’. In a way, therefore, this is a question to ask ‘who is this person?’ in general, regardless of the gender. This is why its meaning can vary depending on the situation and context.

Then, let me explain how to use this expression through the example conversation below.

Example #1: how to say “who is he?” in Japanese

Below is the conversation between two Japanese: Haru and Aki.

Below are new words used in the example conversation.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make the subject word.
• Takashi – タカシ (たかし) : a Japanese male name.

This is a typical usage of “dare desu ka”. In the example conversation, it is preceded by the combination of the pronoun, “kare”, and the binding particle, “wa”. Due to their help, the listener can easily understand who is referred to. When we want to ask “who is/are” clearly in Japanese, we should use a pronoun and a particle before the expression. In most cases, “wa” is the best particle for this usage. To see this point, let me explain how to say “who are YOU?” in Japanese as follows.

Example #2: how to say “who are YOU?” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• anata – あなた : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “dare desu ka”. In this example, it is preceded by the combination of “anata” and “wa”. So, we can understand that this is a question directed to “you”. The binding particle, “wa”, has the aspect of a topic marker, so is very suitable for questions.

In conversations with first-met people, Japanese native speakers try to use indirect expressions, as these sound softer and more polite. In other words, direct expressions sound stronger and perhaps rude. “Anata wa dare desu ka” is, for sure, a direct expression, so sounds strong. This is what native speakers try to avoid. So, I do not recommend this expression to Japanese learners. To avoid awkward situations with first-met people, we should use a softer and more polite expression.

How to say “who are you?” politely in Japanese

When Japanese people need to say “who are you?” in Japanese. They would use the following polite expression.

Below is the new word.

• donata – どなた : an honorific expression of “dare”.

In this sentence, “donata” is used instead of “dare”. It is an honorific expression of “dare”, so sounds more polite. In addition, “anata wa” is not used. As I mentioned above, Japanese native speakers try to use indirect expressions, as they sound softer and more polite. So, words referring to particular people directly tend to be omitted in polite expressions.

This expression is polite enough. Yet, in more formal situations, a more polite expression would be better.

How to say “who are you?” more politely in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• deshou – でしょう : the combination of the auxiliary verb, “desu”, and another auxiliary verb, “u”. In this case, the auxiliary verb, “u”, is used to make “desu” sound softer and more indirect. This combination is often used instead of “desu” in order to ask, request, or offer something in a more polite way in Japanese. In this regard, its usage is a bit similar to English modal verbs like “may”, “might”, “can”, “could”, or “would”.

This example shows a much more polite way to say “who are you?” in Japanese. This expression can be used in any situation. Perhaps it would sound too much polite in casual situations. But, being polite is much better than being rude. So, this is very useful and helpful, I think.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the Japanese question: “dare desu ka”. And also, I’ve explained its more polite expressions. Let me summarize them as follows.

• dare desu ka – 誰ですか (だれですか) : a Japanese expression for ‘who are you?’, ‘who is he?’, ‘who is she?’, or perhaps ‘who are they?’ It doesn’t contain any word referring to a particular person, so its meaning can vary depending on the situation and context. To make its meaning clear, we can use the combination of a pronoun and a particle before it.
• donata desu ka – どなたですか : a polite expression of “dare desu ka”. “Donata” is an honorific expression of “dare”.
• donata deshou ka – どなたでしょうか : a polite expression of “donata desu ka”. “Deshou” is a softened expression of “desu”. So, this expression sounds more polite than “donata desu ka”.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.