Home › Japanese › Glossary › how do you say this
Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "how do you say this" in Japanese?
どう言うんだ?
dou iu nda?
In Japanese, "how do you say this" is どう言うんだ? (dou iu nda?).
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
Pronounce doh-ee-oon-dah, dou iu means 'how is it said', short and punchy with a clipped final dah.
Writing and usage
どう言うんだ? is written using kanji. It's a phrase, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
how do you say this
Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember どう言うんだ?
Dou iu sounds like 'dough, ee, you', picture kneading dough and asking, dough, how do you even say this word.
Related words
- cheers 乾杯 kanpai
- what is this called これは何と呼ばれていますか koreha nanto yoba reteimasuka
- i would like to order 注文したいのですが chuumon shitainodesuga
- is there a discount 割引はありますか? waribiki haarimasuka?
- where can i buy tickets チケットはどこで買えますか? chiketto hadokode kae masuka?
- what time does it open 開店時間は何時だ kaitenji kan ha nanji da
- what time does it close 閉店時間は何時だ heitenji kan ha nanji da
- can i have the menu メニューをもらえますか? menyuu womoraemasuka?
- is it far from here ここから遠いのか? kokokara tooi noka?
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about どう言うんだ?
How do you pronounce どう言うんだ??
Pronounce doh-ee-oon-dah, dou iu means 'how is it said', short and punchy with a clipped final dah.
Is どう言うんだ? formal or casual?
どう言うんだ? is a common everyday expression. Context and tone of voice matter more than the words themselves for how formal it sounds.
How is どう言うんだ? written in Japanese?
どう言うんだ? is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as dou iu nda?.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"How do you say this" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town