In this lesson, we will learn how to say “Where are you from?” in Japanese. Introducing yourself and talking about your background is a common step to getting to know each other.
Below, you’ll learn Japanese phrases and new words related to this question. Let’s get started!
How to Say “Where Are You From” in Japanese
Whether you speak English or Japanese, questions like “What is your name?” and “Where are you from?” are probably one of the most commonly used phrases when you meet someone for the first time.
In English, we use “Where are you from?” and “Where do you come from?” to ask where they were born and grew up. The Japanese language has the same idea, and people often use the phrase as a conversation starter.
Ways to say “Where Are You From” in Japanese
Here are the common phrases that you can use to ask where someone is from.
- どこからきたの？ (Doko kara kita no? | どこから来たの？)
- どこからきましたか？ (Doko kara kimashita ka? | どこから来ましたか？)
- どちらからいらっしゃいましたか？ (Dochira kara irasshai mashita ka? | どちらからいらっしゃいましたか？)
These three expressions literally mean “Where did you come from?” in Japanese. They are all widely used as “Where are you from?” in Japanese by native speakers.
Next, let’s take a look at the structure of these phrases in Japanese.
Just like “Where are you from?” in English, the Japanese question sentence begins with “Where.” To fully understand how this question is formed, we will break down each part below.
どこからきましたか？ (Doko kara kimashita ka? | どこから来ましたか？)
- どこ (Doko | where)
- から (Kara | ～から | from)
- きました (Kimashita | 来ました | came, the past tense of “to come”) *くる (Kuru | 来る) is the original form
- か？ (Ka? | ～か？ | question word)
“Where Are You Originally From” in Japanese
This variation literally is “Where are you originally from?” in Japanese. It’s quite a polite way and refers to your nationality, home country, or hometown.
- どこのしゅっしん？ (Doko no shusshin? | どこの出身？)
- しゅっしんはどこ？ (Shusshin wa doko? | 出身はどこ？)
- どこのしゅっしんですか？ (Doko no shusshin desu ka? | どこの出身ですか？)
- しゅっしんはどこですか？ ( Shusshin wa doko desu ka? | 出身はどこですか？)
- どちらのごしゅっしんですか？ (Dochira no go shusshin desu ka? | どちらのご出身ですか？)
- ご出身はどちらですか？ (Go shusshin wa dochira desu ka? | ご出身はどちらですか？)
The Structure of “Where Are You Originally From” in Japanese
Here’s a breakdown of each part of this question in Japanese.
どこの出身ですか？ (Doko no shusshin desu ka? | どこの出身ですか？)
ご出身はどちらですか？ (Goshusshin wa dochira desu ka? | ご出身はどちらですか？)
- どこ、どちら (Doko, Dochira | where)
- の (No | of, from)
- しゅっしん、ごしゅっしん (Shusshin, Go shusshin | 出身、ご出身 | birthplace, origin, background)
- は (wa | は | a particle)
- ですか？ （Desu ka? | ～ですか？ | question word)
Here’s another way to ask this question with its breakdown below.
どちらからいらっしゃいましたか？ (Dochira kara irasshai mashita ka? | どちらからいらっしゃいましたか？)
- どちら (Dochira | where)
- から (Kara | ～から | from)
- いらっしゃいました (Irasshai mashita | came, the past tense of “to come”) *いらっしゃる (irassharu | to come, to go, to be) is the original form
- か？ (Ka? | ～か？ | question word)
How to differentiate the two words for “where” in Japanese
どこ (Doko) and どちら (Dochira) are both pronouns. They are commonly written in ひらがな (Hiragana | 平仮名) form instead of かんじ (Kanji | 漢字) form as below.
- どこ (Doko | 何処、何所 | Where)
- どちら (Dochira | 何方 | Where)
The first word, どこ (Doko), is an indefinite demonstrative pronoun and refers to an indeterminate, unknown, or questionable place and situation.
The next word, どちら (Dochira), can be an indefinite demonstrative pronoun or an indefinite personal pronoun depending on the context. どちら (Dochira) implies an unknown or unspecified location or direction, place, and person. It also indicates one thing out of several options.
As a general rule, どこ (Doko) is rather casual. Therefore, using どちら (Dochira) is recommended in formal situations.
Asking for a bit more information about where someone is from in Japanese
As we previously learned, どこ (Doko) and どちら (Dochira) refer to an unspecified place. So, you can use the phrases above to imply their mother country, hometown, the school they graduated from, or the company they work for.
However, if you wish to know more details about where someone is from, you can add a word to the question.
For example:
どこのくに (Doko no kuni | どこの国 |
What country
どちらのまち (Doko no machi | どちらの街、どちらの町、 |
What town
どのだいがくのなにがくぶ (Dono daigaku no nani gakubu | どの大学の何学部 |
Which department of which university
どちらのだいがくのなんのがくぶ (Dochira no daigaku no nan no gakubu | どちらの大学の何の学部 |
Which department of which university
どんなぶんか (Donna bunka | どんな文化 |
What kind of culture
どのようなぶんか (Dono you na bunka | どのような文化 |
What kind of culture
Example questions:
あふりかのどのくにからきたのですか？ (Afurika no dono kuni kara kita no desu ka? | アフリカのどの国から来たのですか？ |
Which country in Africa are you from?
あめりかのなんというしゅうのしゅっしんですか？ (Amerika no nan to iu shuu no shusshin desu ka? | アメリカの何ていう州の出身ですか？ |
What state in America are you from?
きょうはどちらのホテルからいらっしゃったのですか？ (Kyou wa dochira no hoteru kara irasshatta no desu ka? | 今日はどちらのホテルからいらしゃったのですか？ |
Which hotel are you from today?
The Variations of “Where are you from” in Japanese
Without a doubt, Japanese native speakers often use the following two phrases in conversations to say “Where are you from?” in Japanese.
Basic Question Phrase
- どこからきましたか？ (Doko kara kimashita ka? | どこから来ましたか？)
- しゅっしんはどこですか？ (Shusshin wa doko desu ka? | 出身はどこですか？)
Yet, a native speaker uses other ways to ask where the person is from or where the person grew up in.
“Where are you from” in Japanese (Informal)
Below are some casual or informal ways to ask where someone is from in Japanese.
どこのくにのひと？ (Doko no kuni no hito? | どこの国の人？)
What country are you from?
どこで生まれたの？ (Doko de umareta no? | どこで生まれたの？)
Where were you born?
どちらのかた？ (Dochira no kata? | どちらの方？)
Where are you from?
なにじん？ (Nani jin? | 何人？)
What nationality are you?
なんていうところからきたの？ (Nante iu tokoro kara kita no? | 何ていう所から来たの？)
Where are you from?
“Where are you from” in Japanese (Formal)
For a formal way to ask this question, you can refer to the samples below.
どちらのかたですか？ (Dochira no kata desu ka? | どちらの方ですか？)
Where are you from? (*also “Who are you?” sometimes)
しつれいですが、どちらのくにのかたですか？ (Shitsurei desuga, dochira no kuni no kata desu ka? | 失礼ですが、どちらの国の方ですか？)
Excuse me, but what country are you from?
なにじんですか？ (Nani jin desu ka? | 何人ですか？)
What nationality are you?
なにこくせきですか？ (Nani kokuseki desu ka? | 何国籍ですか？)
What nationality are you?
どのようなバックグラウンドをおもちですか？ (Dono you na bakku guraundo wo omochi desu ka? | どのようなバックグラウンドをお持ちですか？)
What is your background?
How to Reply to “Where Are You From” in Japanese
どこから (Doko kara) and どちらから (Dochira kara) refers to “from where” in Japanese, but they do not specify what kind of places. You can answer with the name of your country, the town you grew up in, or anywhere you call your home to answer “Where are you from?” in Japanese.
However, it’s most likely a question about your nationality when someone asks you on the first time you meet.
You have several ways to express yourself to answer the “Where are you from?” in Japanese. You can replace the underlined terms with the name of your country or any place you want to bring up in the conversation.
Ways to answer “Where are you from” in Japanese
オーストラリアじんです (Oosutoraria jin desu | オーストラリア人です)
I’m Australian
カナダしゅっしんです (Kanada shusshin desu | カナダ出身です)
I’m from Canada
アメリカからきました (Amerika kara kimashita | アメリカから来ました)
I’m from the United States
ニューヨークしでうまれそだちました (Nyuuyooku shi de umare sodachi mashita | ニューヨーク市で生まれ育ちました)
I was born and raised in New York City
にほんにくるまえは、ちゅうきんとうにすんでいました (Nihon ni kuru mae wa, chuukintou ni sun de imashita | 日本に来る前は、中近東に住んでいました)
Before coming to Japan, I lived in the Middle East
Other Questions related to “Where are you from” in Japanese
The following are the common questions in casual conversations.
There might be circumstances where you feel the question is too abrupt or too personal to answer, but don’t forget that people in Japan are just being curious when they ask “Where are you from?” and other related questions to you.
Even in 2020, approximately 2.3 percent of the population are foreign nationals in Japan. That means there are many more nationalities and languages they can encounter. So many people in the country think it’s a great chance to learn something from foreign nationals when they encounter one.
Here are some sample questions:
にほんにくるのははじめてですか？ (Nihon ni kuru no wa hajimete desu ka? | 日本に来るのは初めてですか？)
Is this your first time coming to Japan?
にほんごはわかりますか？ (Nihongo wa wakarimasu ka? | 日本語はわかりますか？)
Do you understand Japanese?
なにごがはなせますか？ (Nanigo ga hanasemasu ka? | 何語が話せますか？)
What language do you speak?
にほんはどうですか？ (Nihon wa dou desu ka? | 日本はどうですか？)
How do you think of Japan? How is life in Japan?, Do you like Japan?
にほんのせいかつにはなれましたか？ (Nihon no seikatsu ni wa naremashita ka? | 日本の生活には慣れましたか？)
Have you gotten used to life in Japan?
なにかこまっていることはありませんか？ (Nani ka komatteiru koto wa arimasen ka? | 何か困っていることはありませんか？)
Is there something bothering you?, Do you need some help?
Tips about omitting and shortening Japanese words
In casually spoken Japanese, people often switch sounds like の (no) and と (to) in certain word combinations. Also, it is not uncommon to omit ですか？ (desu ka?) or other question words, as well as using the abbreviated word いらした (irashita) instead of いらっしゃった (irasshatta).
You can get the meaning by paying attention to the context of the sentence and listening carefully, so don’t get confused with unfamiliar or shortened sounds.
- の (no) → ん (n)
- と (to) → て (te)
- ですか？ (desu ka?) → ×
- いらっしゃった (irasshatta) → いらした (irashita) *the past tense of *いらっしゃる (irassharu | to come, to go, to be)
- なんというところ (Nan to iu tokoro | 何という所) → なんていうところ (Nan te iu tokoro | 何ていう所 | What is the name of the place)
For example:
あふりかのどのくにからきたん です か？ (Afurika no dono kuni kara kita n desu ka? | アフリカのどの国から来たんですか？)
Which country in Africa are you from?
あめりかのなんていうしゅうのしゅっしん？ (Amerika no nan te iu shuu no shusshin? | アメリカの何ていう州の出身？)
What state in America are you from?
きょうはどちらのホテルからいらしたんですか？ (Kyou wa dochira no hoteru kara irashita n desu ka? | 今日はどちらのホテルからいらしたんですか？)
Which hotel are you from today?
Wrap Up
With this lesson, learning Japanese terms for different countries can also be useful. Here’s an article on Countries in Japanese. We hope this has helped you in understanding Japanese culture and language better.
What would you like to learn next? Leave us a comment below! Til next time!
