Japanese for Seeking Advice: How to Ask 'What Would You Do?'
Learn to ask for advice in Japanese using どうしたらいい and アドバイス. Explain your situation and seek opinions, not favors.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
When you want someone's opinion on a problem, Japanese offers clear ways to ask for advice without requesting a favor. This lesson teaches you to explain your situation and ask 'What would you do?' or 'Any advice?' using natural elementary-level Japanese. You'll learn key phrases like どうしたらいいですか and アドバイスをお願いします, and practice a short dialogue.
By the end, you can…
- explain a simple problem in Japanese.
- ask for advice using どうしたらいいですか and アドバイスをお願いします.
- distinguish between asking for advice and asking for a favor.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
どうしたらいいですか。
What should I do?
Dō shitara ii desu ka.
General way to ask for advice when you're unsure about a course of action. It asks what course of action is good; it does not mean 'What would you do?'
アドバイスをお願いします。
Please give me advice.
Adobaisu o onegai shimasu.
Polite request for advice. Use when you want someone's opinion or suggestion.
〜で困っています。
I'm having trouble with ~ / I'm in a difficult situation with ~
~ de komatte imasu.
Explain your problem. Replace ~ with a noun or a clause, e.g., 仕事で困っています (I'm having trouble at work).
何かいい方法はありますか。
Is there any good method? / Any advice?
Nanika ii hōhō wa arimasu ka.
Ask for suggestions or solutions. More specific than どうしたらいいですか.
あなたならどうしますか。
What would you do (if you were me)?
Anata nara dō shimasu ka.
Ask for someone's personal opinion or hypothetical action. あなた can sound pointed or confrontational in Japanese, so this is best with friends or close colleagues; otherwise use the person's name or 〜さん.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To ask for advice, use どうしたらいいですか (What should I do?) or アドバイスをお願いします (Please give me advice). First explain your situation with 〜で困っています (I'm having trouble with ~). For example: 仕事で困っています。どうしたらいいですか。 (I'm having trouble at work. What should I do?) You can also ask 何かいい方法はありますか (Is there any good method?) to seek suggestions. These patterns seek opinions, not actions.
When to use it
Use these phrases when you want someone's opinion or guidance, not when you want them to do something for you. For example, if you want a friend to help you move, that's a favor: 手伝ってくれませんか (Could you help me?). But if you want advice on whether to change jobs, say 転職しようか迷っています。どうしたらいいですか。 (I'm unsure whether to change jobs. What should I do?) This invites discussion, not a request for action.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
最近、仕事で困っています。どうしたらいいですか。
Recently, I'm having trouble at work. What should I do?Saikin, shigoto de komatte imasu. Dō shitara ii desu ka.何か具体的な問題がありますか。
Is there a specific problem?Nanika gutaiteki na mondai ga arimasu ka.上司と上手くいっていません。アドバイスをお願いします。
I'm not getting along with my boss. Please give me advice.Jōshi to umaku itte imasen. Adobaisu o onegai shimasu.そうですか。では、まず上司と話し合ってみてはどうですか。
I see. Then how about trying to talk it out with your boss first?Sō desu ka. Dewa, mazu jōshi to hanashiatte mite wa dō desu ka.A little context goes a long way
In Japanese, asking for advice often involves softening the request to avoid imposing. When giving advice, 〜たらどうですか (how about ~?) is common, and 〜かもしれません (maybe) can soften a statement. あなたならどうしますか can sound direct because あなた is often avoided; in formal settings, you might say 一般的にどうするべきでしょうか (What should one generally do?) to be more indirect.
One thing to watch for
Using 〜てください (please do ~) when asking for advice, e.g., 手伝ってください (Please help me).
Try this instead: 〜てください is for requests, not advice. To ask for advice, use どうしたらいいですか or アドバイスをお願いします. For example, instead of 手伝ってください, say どうしたらいいですか if you want guidance.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'What should I do?' in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
どうしたらいいですか。
This is the standard phrase for asking for advice. どうすればいいですか is also correct and slightly more formal.
2Translate: 'I'm having trouble with my studies. Any advice?'
Show a sample answer
勉強で困っています。アドバイスをお願いします。
This uses 〜で困っています to explain the situation and アドバイスをお願いします to ask for advice. You could also say 何かいい方法はありますか。
3What's the difference between どうしたらいいですか and 手伝ってくれませんか?
Show a sample answer
どうしたらいいですか asks for advice; 手伝ってくれませんか asks for a favor (help).
The former seeks an opinion, the latter requests action. Both are polite, but used in different contexts.
Use どうしたらいいですか or アドバイスをお願いします to seek advice, and explain your situation with 〜で困っています. Avoid 〜てください, which is for favors.
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