Translation guide
How to ask about or describe someone's location or what they are doing in Japanese, with a focus on natural phrasing and politeness.
The speaker wants to know the current location of a person.
The standard polite way to ask where someone is. Replace 〜 with the person's name or title.
田中さんはどこですか。
Where is Mr./Ms. Tanaka?
先生はどこですか。
Where is the teacher?
A slightly more explicit way to ask where someone is, using the verb いる (to be for animate things). Polite and natural.
お母さんはどこにいますか。
Where is your mother?
Very casual. Used among close friends or family when the context is clear. Simply say the person's name with は.
太郎は？
Where's Taro?
The speaker wants to state or describe where someone is.
The standard polite way to say someone is at a place. Use に for location with the verb いる.
彼は図書館にいます。
He is at the library.
母は家にいます。
My mother is at home.
The casual form of います. Used with friends, family, or in informal writing.
兄は公園にいる。
My brother is at the park.
A simpler pattern that can be used when the location is understood from context, but it's less precise than using にいます. Often used in response to a question.
A: 田中さんは？ B: 会議室です。
A: Where's Mr. Tanaka? B: He's in the meeting room.
The speaker wants to know what someone is doing or their general situation, often implying location indirectly.
Polite way to ask 'What is ~ doing?' This is often more natural than directly asking for a location when you want to know someone's current activity.
お父さんは何をしていますか。
What is your father doing?
A more general 'How is ~ doing?' or 'What is ~ up to?' Can be used to ask about someone's whereabouts indirectly.
最近、彼はどうしていますか。
How has he been lately? / What's he up to these days?
The speaker wants to explain what someone is doing or their current state, often without specifying a precise location.
Use the te-iru form to describe an ongoing action or state. This is the most natural way to say what someone is doing.
彼女は今、買い物をしています。
She is shopping right now.
Used to say someone is in the middle of doing something. Attach 中 to a noun or verb stem.
部長は会議中です。
The department manager is in a meeting.
English 'whereabouts' is often used as a noun (e.g., 'His whereabouts are unknown'). Japanese does not have a single noun equivalent. Instead, use phrases like 居場所 (いばしょ, 'whereabouts/place where someone is') or rephrase as a question or statement about location.
彼の居場所はわからない。
His whereabouts are unknown.
居場所 literally means 'place where one is' and can be used for 'whereabouts' in a more formal or written context. It often implies a sense of belonging or a place where someone feels at home.
警察は彼の居場所を突き止めた。
The police tracked down his whereabouts.