どなた
どなた
pronoun
who (polite)
1.
who (polite)
A polite way to ask about someone's identity.
どなたですか。
Who is it? / May I ask who you are?
どなたかいらっしゃいますか。
Is anyone there?
こちらはどなたですか。
Who is this person?
どなたか日本語が分かる方はいますか。
Is there anyone who understands Japanese?
先ほどお電話をくださったのはどなたですか。
Who was it that called earlier?
どなた is the polite equivalent of 誰 (who). It belongs to the ko-so-a-do demonstrative system and is used when politeness or respect is required.
FORMALITY LEVELS:
- 誰: casual/neutral
- どなた: polite
- どちら様: very polite/formal
COMMON PATTERNS:
- どなたですか: Who are you? / Who is it?
- どなたか: someone (polite indefinite)
- どなたでも: anyone at all (polite)
- どなた様ですか: Who might you be? (very polite)
USAGE:
- At the door: どなたですか (Who is it?)
- Introducing someone: こちらはどなたですか (Who is this person?)
- Customer service: どなた様がご利用ですか (Who will be using this?)
Part of the ko-so-a-do system: これ・それ・あれ・どれ, ここ・そこ・あそこ・どこ, この・その・あの・どの, etc.