Ask where something is

どこ is the question word for asking "where."

JLPTN5

どこ＝ where?~ wa doko desu ka

Where is [thing/place]?

Example Sentence

トイレtoilet はどこwhere ですか？

Where is the toilet?

Word Details →

Use どこ to ask about a place — it sits exactly where the place name goes in the answer. The particle after it does the rest: どこに for where something is, どこで for where something happens, どこへ for where you are going. どこ belongs to the こ・そ・あ・ど set, alongside ここ, そこ and あそこ.

Tips and Common Traps

Hana· Key point

どこ comes up constantly — finding a toilet, a station, a restaurant. Get comfortable with どこですか early.

Maru· Common trap

The particle after どこ matters: どこに for existence (where something is), どこで for action (where something happens), どこへ for motion (where you're going).

Build the Sentence

JLPT N5

1 / 5

what is this?

Arrange the words in the correct Japanese order:

は

what it's about · said "wa"

これ

this

ですか

is it? (question)

なん

what

place + に + いる / ある