Questions and Demonstratives
Polite Question Word for Asking Who Someone Is
どなた is the polite Japanese question word used to ask about someone's identity. You will use it when talking to or asking about people of higher status, customers, or people you do not know well. It replaces the standard word だれ in formal situations to show respect to the person you are asking about.
01Main Functions
Asking for someone's identity
Use どなた to respectfully ask who someone is. This is the polite counterpart to だれですか.
あちらはどなたですか。
Who is that person over there?
Asking who will do something
Use どなた followed by the particle が to ask who performs an action when you want to show respect to the person acting.
どなたが行きますか。
Who will go?
Asking about ownership
Use どなた with the connecting particle の to politely ask whose item something is.
これはどなたの傘ですか。
Whose umbrella is this?
02Sentence Pattern
noun + は + どなた + ですか
あの方はどなたですか。
Who is that person?
Use this pattern to ask about someone's identity respectfully. The particle は marks the person as the topic, and the whole phrase どなたですか asks for the missing identity. あの方 is the polite equivalent of あの人.
どなた + ですか
どなたですか。
Who is (it)?
Use this direct pattern when asking someone who they are, such as when answering the door or a phone call in a polite context.
どなた + が + いますか
会議室にどなたがいますか。
Who is in the meeting room?
どなたが is the normal choice when asking who is present. Attach the particle が directly to どなた to mark it as the subject.
どなた + が + verb + ますか
パーティーにどなたが来ますか。
Who will come to the party?
When asking who performs an action, どなたが is the natural choice. In ordinary polite questions, use polite verb forms like ますか to match the formal tone.
どなた + の + noun + ですか
それはどなたのペンですか。
Whose pen is that?
Add the particle の to どなた to politely ask who an object belongs to.
どなた + の + ですか
このかばんはどなたのですか。
Whose is this bag?
When the object is already the topic, you can use どなたの by itself. Here, の stands in for the understood noun, functioning as a noun substitute.
どなた + に + verb + ますか
どなたに聞きましたか。
Who did (you) ask?
You can use どなた with other particles like に to ask who an action was directed toward, while still keeping a respectful tone.
03Example Sentences
あちらはどなたですか。
Who is that person over there?
A respectful way to ask about someone's identity. あちら matches the polite tone of どなた.
どなたですか。
Who is (it)?
A direct but polite question used when answering a door or a phone call.
あの方はどなたですか。
Who is that person?
あの方 is the polite equivalent of あの人. It pairs perfectly with どなた for formal situations.
教室にどなたがいますか。
Who is in the classroom?
Use どなたが when asking who is present in a polite context.
パーティーにどなたが来ますか。
Who will come to the party?
Attach the particle が directly to どなた to ask who will perform an action.
それはどなたのペンですか。
Whose pen is that?
Add the connecting particle の to politely ask who an object belongs to.
このかばんはどなたのですか。
Whose is this bag?
When the object is already the topic, you can drop the noun and just ask どなたのですか.
どなたに聞きましたか。
Who did (you) ask?
You can use どなた with the particle に to politely ask who an action was directed toward.
どなたと行きますか。
Who will (you) go with?
Pair どなた with the particle と to ask who someone is doing something with in a respectful way.
どなたが先生ですか。
Who is the teacher?
Use どなたが to ask who holds a specific role or title.
どなたから手紙が来ましたか。
Who did the letter come from?
Use the particle から with どなた to ask for a respectful source or sender.
次の先生はどなたですか。
Who is the next teacher?
A polite way to ask who will be taking on a role next.
どなたが話しますか。
Who will speak?
Used to politely ask who will give a speech or start talking.
04Comparisons
どなた vs. だれ
だれ is the neutral word used to ask about a person's identity, while どなた is its polite equivalent. You should use どなた to show respect to the person you are asking about, such as a customer, a superior, or someone you do not know well. Using だれ in these formal situations can sound blunt or disrespectful.
だれですか。
Who is it? (Neutral)
どなたですか。
Who is it? (Polite)
どなた vs. どんな人
どなた asks about a person's specific identity or name, whereas どんな人 asks about a person's characteristics, personality, or appearance.
あの人はどんな人ですか。
What kind of person is that?
あの方はどなたですか。
Who is that person?
どなた vs. どの人
どなた asks for someone's identity, while どの人 asks you to point out or specify which person among a group.
先生はどの人ですか。
Which person is the teacher?
先生はどなたですか。
Who is the teacher? (Respectful)
05Nuance and Usage
どなた is a crucial word for mastering polite Japanese. It allows you to ask about a person's identity while simultaneously expressing respect toward the person you are asking about. It is the polite counterpart to the everyday word だれ. You will encounter どなた frequently in professional environments, when speaking to customers, or when inquiring about guests and superiors. Using it shows that you recognize social boundaries and have a good grasp of Japanese manners.
Because どなた sets a formal tone, the words around it usually match that level of politeness. For example, instead of using the neutral あの人, speakers often pair どなた with the polite equivalent あの方. Similarly, learner examples normally use polite endings such as ますか or ですか after どなた. Using a very respectful word like どなた alongside a casual verb creates a jarring mix of styles that can easily confuse listeners.
A key social point with どなた is the in-group and out-group boundary. It is used to show respect to someone outside your immediate circle. When speaking to an external client, Japanese usually avoids using どなた for your own family, close friends, or company staff; in those contexts, だれ or a specific role/name is usually more natural.
06Core Explanation
どなた is the polite Japanese question word used to ask about someone's identity.
どなた is the polite Japanese question word used to ask about someone's identity. While you will often use だれ in everyday conversations, どなた is essential when you need to show respect to the person you are asking about. It elevates your speech and is commonly used in business settings, customer service, or when talking to superiors and guests.
The most common way to use this word is in the simple identity question どなたですか. If you want to ask about someone you see, you can pair it with polite demonstratives like あちら or あの方. For example, あの方はどなたですか is a very natural and respectful way to ask who someone is.
Just like other question words, どなた can take various particles depending on its role in the sentence. When you are asking who will perform an action or who is present, どなたが is the normal choice. Because どなた sets a formal tone, it is normally paired with polite endings such as ますか or ですか in learner examples. Mixing it with plain casual verb forms sounds mismatched unless there is a special stylistic reason.
You can also use どなた to ask about ownership by adding the connecting particle の. The pattern どなたの + noun asks which person an item belongs to. For example, これはどなたの傘ですか translates to "Whose umbrella is this?". If the object is already obvious from the context, you can drop the noun and simply ask どなたのですか, where の stands in for the understood noun.
It is important to know where どなた sounds natural. Because it expresses respect for the person being asked about, Japanese usually avoids using it for your own family or in-group when speaking to an outsider. With close friends, どなた often sounds stiff and distant, so だれ is usually the better choice in casual situations.
07Common Mistakes
Wrong
(With a close friend) あの人はどなたですか。
Correct
(With a close friend) あの人はだれですか。
Why: With close friends, どなた sounds too distant for ordinary conversation. Use だれ when the relationship and setting are casual.
Wrong
どなたがいる？
Correct
どなたがいますか。
Why: In an ordinary polite question, どなた pairs naturally with polite verb forms. Pairing it with casual いる creates a jarring mix of styles; いますか keeps the tone consistent.
Wrong
どなたが行く？
Correct
どなたが行きますか。
Why: Because どなた sets a polite tone, casual 行く sounds mismatched in this question. Use ますか for an ordinary polite question.
Wrong
あなたはどなたですか。
Correct
どなたですか。
Why: Directly using あなたは ("as for you") when asking a superior or stranger who they are can sound confrontational. It is much more natural and polite to simply ask どなたですか.
Wrong
どなたの傘。
Correct
どなたの傘ですか。
Why: In this polite question, complete the sentence with a polite predicate like ですか. Dropping it makes the sentence abruptly casual.
Wrong
どなたが先生だ。
Correct
どなたが先生ですか。
Why: For this polite question, use the polite question marker ですか rather than the casual copula だ.
08Questions
Can I use どなた with my friends?
No, using どなた with close friends sounds too stiff, distant, and unnatural. In casual settings or when talking to friends, you should use the standard word だれ.
Is it okay to say あの人はどなたですか?
While people will understand you, mixing the neutral あの人 with very polite どなた creates a mismatch in tone. It is much more natural to pair it with the polite equivalent by saying あの方はどなたですか.
Can I ask どなたがいます?
Because どなた expresses respect, ordinary learner examples pair it with polite wording. Use the polite verb form and say どなたがいますか.
09Mini Practice
- 01
(Addressing a visitor in an office) どなたですか。
- 02
(Talking to a close friend about a classmate) あの男の人はどなたですか。
- 03
Whose umbrella is this?
Tap the pieces in the correct order.
- 04
あちらは（ ）ですか。
- 05
会議室に（ ）がいますか。
- 06
Who is that person? (respectful)
Tap the pieces in the correct order.
- 07
（ ）が先生ですか。
- 08
（ ）に聞きましたか。
Summary
Learner Summary
- どなた is the polite Japanese word used to ask about someone's identity or belongings.
- It replaces the everyday word だれ in formal situations, business settings, or when talking to superiors.
- It is commonly used in polite questions like どなたですか to respectfully ask for someone's identity.
- In ordinary polite questions, pair どなた with polite endings like ですか or ますか to keep the tone consistent.
- With close friends, or when speaking about your own family to outsiders, だれ is usually more natural than どなた.
10Study Map
Study Info
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