誰(だれ)

だれ
pronoun
who
interrogative
1. who
A question word asking about the identity of a person.
あの人(ひと)は誰(だれ)ですか？
Who is that person?
誰(だれ)が来(き)ましたか？
Who came?
誰(だれ)でも参加(さんか)できます。
Anyone can participate.
誰でも = anyone
誰(だれ)かがドアをノックしています。誰(だれ)だろう？
Someone is knocking on the door. I wonder who it is?
誰か = someone
この写真(しゃしん)の人(ひと)は誰(だれ)ですか？私(わたし)の友達(ともだち)は誰(だれ)も知(し)らないと言(い)っています。
Who is this person in the photo? My friends say that none of them know.
誰も + negative = no one

誰(だれ) is one of the fundamental question words, used to ask about the identity of a person.

Politeness levels

  • 誰(だれ): standard/casual
  • どなた: polite form (used with customers, superiors)
  • どちらさま: very polite (formal situations)

Derived expressions

  • 誰(だれ)か: someone, somebody
  • 誰(だれ)も + negative: no one, nobody
  • 誰(だれ)も + positive: everyone (literary)
  • 誰(だれ)でも: anyone, everybody

Common patterns

  • 誰(だれ)が + verb: Who did X?
  • 誰(だれ)の + noun: Whose X?
  • 誰(だれ)に: to whom?

Usage

In indirect questions, 誰(だれ) can appear mid-sentence: 誰(だれ)が来(く)るか分(わ)からない (I don't know who's coming).

Related Words

See also: 何(なに)
See also: どこ
See also: いつ
Keigo: どなた (polite)
Keigo: どちら様(さま) (polite)
basic
Added 2026.1.7 21:16 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:00
00500/00534_dare