Grammar › Intention › 〜はどうですか
〜はどうですか
Two jobs in one phrase: asking "how is X?" and suggesting "how about X?". The wording is identical — tone and context split them.
The short version
Take a noun, add はどうですか — literally "as for X, how is it?". Depending on context it either asks for an opinion or state ("how's X?") or suggests X as an option ("how about X?"). The casual version just drops to どう?.
天気はどうですか — how's the weather?
コーヒーはどうですか — how about a coffee?
Asking "how is it?"
The most frequent use — checking on a state, a condition, or someone's impression of something.
天気はどうですか。
How's the weather? (asking about a state)
運転はどうですか。
How's the driving (there)? (asking for an impression)
Turning it back on the listener
A very common move: after saying your own take, use 〜はどうですか to ask the other person the same — "and you? how about you?".
最近はどうですか。
How've things been lately? (catching up)
皆さんはどうですか。
How about you all? (handing the question over)
Watch out
🗣 Casually, it shrinks to どう? Among friends drop はどうですか to a bare どう？ — 映画どう？ ("how about a movie?" / "how was the movie?"). More polite still is いかがですか, the keigo version you'll hear in shops and service.
Suggestion or question? Context decides. コーヒーはどうですか to a guest is an offer ("how about a coffee?"); コーヒーはどうですか about a café's coffee is a question ("how's the coffee?"). Same words — the situation tells you which.
Next: 〜ませんか — won't you → · 〜にする — decide on → · All grammar
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