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1. Ask “who is _______? in Japanese:
Any noun, title, role, or category referring to a person—or sometimes a being or character—can be placed before “wa dare desu ka?” to ask “Who is ___?” For example:
- Kyōjin wa dare desu ka? (巨人は誰ですか？) — Who is the giant?
- Sensei wa dare desu ka? (先生は誰ですか？) — Who is the teacher?
- Kodomo wa dare desu ka? (子供は誰ですか？) — Who is the child?
- Yuumei na hito wa dare desu ka? (有名な人は誰ですか？) — Who is the famous person?
The blank should be a noun or noun phrase identifying a person, character, or role. This sentence form is used to inquire about the identity of that specific person or figure.
Here is a table of 30 commonly used Japanese words for “who” or referring to people/roles often used before “wa dare desu ka?” to ask “Who is ___?” in everyday language. The list is ordered from most to least frequent usage in common contexts. Below that there is a list of 18 words to build more complex variations of “Who is” questions.
| Japanese | Romaji | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| あなた | Anata | You |
| 彼 (かれ) | Kare | He |
| 彼女 (かのじょ) | Kanojo | She |
| 先生 (せんせい) | Sensei | Teacher |
| 学生 (がくせい) | Gakusei | Student |
| 友達 (ともだち) | Tomodachi | Friend |
| 母 (はは) | Haha | Mother |
| 父 (ちち) | Chichi | Father |
| 医者 (いしゃ) | Isha | Doctor |
| 子供 (こども) | Kodomo | Child |
| 社長 (しゃちょう) | Shachō | Company president |
| 店長 (てんちょう) | Tenchō | Store manager |
| 誰 (だれ) | Dare | Who |
| 部長 (ぶちょう) | Buchō | Department manager |
| 兄 (あに) | Ani | Older brother |
| 姉 (あね) | Ane | Older sister |
| 弟 (おとうと) | Otōto | Younger brother |
| 妹 (いもうと) | Imōto | Younger sister |
| 社員 (しゃいん) | Shain | Company employee |
| お客さん (おきゃくさん) | Okyakusan | Customer |
| 児童 (じどう) | Jidō | Pupil/child |
| 警察官 (けいさつかん) | Keisatsukan | Police officer |
| 彼氏 (かれし) | Kareshi | Boyfriend |
| 彼女 (かのじょ) [also girlfriend, different from “she”] | Kanojo | Girlfriend |
| 店員 (てんいん) | Ten’in | Shop clerk |
| 運転手 (うんてんしゅ) | Untenshu | Driver |
| 画家 (がか) | Gaka | Painter/artist |
| 作家 (さっか) | Sakka | Writer/author |
| 俳優 (はいゆう) | Haiyū | Actor |
| 歌手 (かしゅ) | Kashu | Singer |
| 巨人 (きょじん) | Kyōjin | Giant |
| 好き（すき） | Suki | like/favorite |
| 一番（いちばん） | ichiban | number one, the most, best |
| 上手（じょうず） | jōzu | skillful, good at |
| 野球選手（やきゅうせんしゅ） | yakyū senshu | baseball player |
| 年上（としうえ） | toshiue | older, elder |
| きれい | kirei | pretty, beautiful, clean |
| 女の子（おんなのこ） | onna no ko | girl |
| これ | kore | this |
| あの | ano | that (over there) |
| 人（ひと) | shto | person |
| あそこ | asoko | over there |
| いる | iru | to exist (for animate beings) |
| 写真（しゃしん） | shashin | photo, photograph |
| 中（なか） | naka | inside, in |
| 帽子（ぼうし） | bōshi | hat, cap |
| 青い（あおい） | aoi | blue (adjective) |
| シャツ | shatsu | shirt |
| 着ている（きている） | kite iru | wearing |
These are commonly used people-related words that fit naturally before “wa dare desu ka?” to ask “Who is ___?” or “Who are ___?” in daily conversation or contexts.
These are some more complex examples of “who is” questions:
- あなたの好きな歌手は誰ですか？
Anata no sukina kashu wa dare desu ka?
You (possessive) favorite singer (topic) who is?
Who is your favorite singer? - 一番上手な野球選手は誰ですか？
Ichiban jōzu na yakyū senshu wa dare desu ka?
Number one skillful (na) baseball player (topic) who is?
Who is the best baseball player? - 一番年上の学生は誰ですか？
Ichiban toshiue no gakusei wa dare desu ka?
Number one oldest (age-up) student (topic) who is?
Who is the oldest student? - 一番きれいな女の子は誰ですか？
Ichiban kirei na onna no ko wa dare desu ka?
Number one pretty (na) girl (topic) who is? - Who is the prettiest girl?
- これは誰ですか？
Kore wa dare desu ka?
This (topic) who is?
Who is this? - あの人は誰ですか？
Ano hito wa dare desu ka?
That person (topic) who is?
Who is that person? - あそこにいる人は誰ですか？
Asoko ni iru hito wa dare desu ka?
Over there (location) at existing person (topic) who is?
Who is the person over there? - 先生は誰ですか？
Sensei wa dare desu ka?
Teacher (topic) who is?
Who is the teacher? - 写真の中の人は誰ですか？
Shashin no naka no hito wa dare desu ka?
Photo (possession) inside (possession) person (topic) who is?
Who is the person in the photo? - これは誰の帽子ですか？
Kore wa dare no bōshi desu ka?
This (topic) who (possessive) hat is?
Whose hat is this? - あの青いシャツを着ている人は誰ですか？
Ano aoi shatsu o kite iru hito wa dare desu ka?
That blue shirt (object marker) wearing person (topic) who is?
Who is the person wearing the blue shirt?