Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "どう" vs "いってらっしゃい"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
どう
どう (dō)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
いってらっしゃい
いってらっしゃい (itterasshai)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both どう and いってらっしゃい are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
どう (どう (dō)) represents "how, in what way" (Level: N5) and typically represents Interrogative adverb used to ask about manner, condition, or opinion..
On the other hand, いってらっしゃい (いってらっしゃい (itterasshai)) translates to "Go and come back safely; See you later (response to 'ittekimasu')" (Level: N5) and is used for Said by those remaining behind to someone who is leaving. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "どう"
日本語の勉強はどうですか。
How is your Japanese study?
Bilingual Sentence for "いってらっしゃい"
父が「いってきます」と言うと、母は「いってらっしゃい」と答えます。
When my father says "Ittekimasu," my mother replies "Itterasshai."
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "日本語の勉強は ＿＿＿ ですか。" (Meaning: "How is your Japanese study?")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "どう" fits here because it represents "how, in what way" in the context: "How is your Japanese study?".