どちらか

pronoun

one or the other; either one; one of (two things)

1. one or the other (of two options); either one

Combines どちら (which of two) with the indefinite particle か. Picks out an unspecified one from a pair — usually translated as 'either one', 'one of the two', or 'whichever'.

どちらか選(えら)んでください。

Please pick one of the two.

どちらかと言(い)えば紅茶(こうちゃ)の方(ほう)が好(す)きだ。

If I had to choose, I'd say I prefer black tea.

紙(かみ)か電子版(でんしばん)か、どちらかをお選(えら)びいただけます。

You can choose either the paper or the digital version.

Refers to a pair, not three or more. Use どれか for three or more options. The casual contraction どっちか is extremely common in speech.

Common expressions

どちらかと言(い)えば: if I had to say which; if anything
どちらかと言(い)うと: if one had to choose between them
どちらか一方(いっぽう): one or the other (of the two)
どちらか選(えら)ぶ: to choose between two

Similar words

どちらも: both — covers the pair
どちらでも: either is fine; any one will do
どれか: any one of (three or more)
どっちか: casual contracted form

Related Words

Compare: どちらも (both)

Compare: どれか (any one of)

Compare: どっちか (casual contracted form)

Compare: いずれか (one or the other)

general

Added 2026.6.3 13:18 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:29

28500/28669_dochiraka