Learning about the common phrases どうした(doushita) and どうしたの(doushitano)

Hey there you lovely Japanese learners, how are you doing? Today we have an amazing Japanese lesson coming at you. We will be
learning all about どうした DOUSHITA AND どうしたの DOUSHITA NO. This is an absolute NEED TO KNOW phrase for your Japanese arsenal.
With these fundamental phrases you will be able to ask important questions like: “What’s up” and “What’s wrong”.

How to say “what’s up” or “what’s wrong” in Japanese

We will be breaking today’s lesson down into the following sections:

1. What are どうした and どうしたの and how can i use them?
   We will look at the meanings of each phrase and learn when to use them.
2. How to use どうした and どうしたの in daily life
   We will learn how to use them in daily life to ensure you can use them straight away.
3. The differnece between どうした and どうしたの
   Learn the fundamental differences between each phrase
4. An effective study technique to master どうした and どうしたの
   Use the phrase effectively with our amazing study technique
5. A summary of today’s lesson on どうした and どうしたの.
   Let’s take a look back at everything to make sure nothing has been missed.

Feel free to skip ahead to certain parts of the lesson if you feel the need however we would advise completing
the lesson from top to bottom for it to be most effective.

Let’s jump right into the first section and learn about どうした and どうしたの.

What are どうした and どうしたの and how can i use them?

The meanings of each phrase and learn when to use them.

So how can i use どうした and どうしたの? Well both phrases are very similar and can be used in the same situations.
You use these phrases to ask someone “what’s up” or “what’s wrong”. Imagine you found someone crying you could say:

どうしたの？
Doushita no
What happened? 

This will make you sound very nice and caring and can be used across a multitude of different situations. It can also be used in another way that doesn’t relate to human interaction
You could use it to ask about where an item is or more specifically “What happened to an item”

boku no pen wa doushita no 
僕のペンはどうしたの。
What have you done with my pen?

Imagine you turned around and your pen had gone missing. This is the perfect way to use this phrase. You can use it in that way for most any item too, which as you can imagine
is really useful in Japanese communication. We are now going to look at some other ways you can use the phrase in daily life too.

How to use どうした and どうしたの in daily life to ensure you can use them straight away.

Here are some other ways that you can use どうした and どうしたの in daily life to help you get using them in a variety of situations.

いったい どうしたの。
一体、どうしたの。
What on earth is the matter?

“Ittai” is a great way to emphasise this phrase in more shocking circumstances. Image that you are totally surprised at the the state of your friend you could use this
phrase to emphasise how shocked you are in asking “what’s the matter”

かれはどうしたのですか。
彼はどうしたのですか。
What is the matter with him?

If you want to ask specifically about what happened to a certain person you can use X は どうしたの to do so.
This will allow you to be much more specific and allow you to specify who is the topic of your question.
In this case the speaker has also added ですか to the end for more emphasis and formality.

私のハンドバッグをどうしたの？
What did you do with my purse?

In this example the speaker hasn’t specified a topic as it is assumed that it is a “you” in this case. They are using object を どうしたの in this case to relate the object
with dou shita as an action. EG “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH X (MY PURSE)

This is a really cool way to say what has X done with my Y.

Now we are going to look at the differences between the 2 phrases どうした and どうしたの.

The differnece between どうした and どうしたの

Learn the fundamental differences between each phrase

So the differences, in all honesty, there are none. どうした and どうしたの are exactly the same. The の is just added to emphasise that it is a question.
There is not much more to say on this section so we will swiftly move on to a study technique you can use to master どうした and どうしたの.

An effective study technique to master どうした and どうしたの

Use the phrase effectively with our amazing study technique

So now it’s time to master どうした and どうしたの. We will start by looking at setting up a routine for you to use in daily practice.

1. Start by writing down all of today’s phrases from the lessons and put them into a list.
2. Memorise those and repeat them to yourself over and over again until the pattern has set in your mind.
3. Start to come up with your own patterns from the examples and vividly imagine situations of yourself using it.
4. Lastly try to integrate the phrases into your daily life as much as possible for the next few days to let the どうした and どうしたの phrases synch in.

By doing this you should really have a great grasp on everything you need to know in regards to どうした and どうしたの. Remember this part of the lesson is super important, if you don’t use it you lose it.

A summary of today’s lesson on どうした and どうしたの

Let’s take a look back at everything to make sure nothing has been missed.

We will now look at a summary of today’s lesson.

You use these phrases to ask someone “what’s up” or “what’s wrong”

It can also be used in another way that doesn’t relate to human interaction
You could use it to ask about where an item is or more specifically “What happened to an item”

The の is just added to emphasise that it is a question.

Make sure that you put into practice today’s effective study method as this will really help to propel you forward.

So guys, that’s it for today’s awesome Japanese lesson from Bondlingo. We really hope that you have enjoyed reading the article and that you have learnt something of use today.
A phrase a day won’t leave you astray. Could that catch on? If you have any more questions or suggestions on things you would like us to talk about in the next lesson please do get in touch.
Until the next lesson, keep studying and have a fantastic day.