How to Use どうも (doumo) in Japanese

How to use どうも (doumo) in Japanese
We hope this material helps you study and revise for the JLPT as well as possible.

💢 Most people translate どうも by guesswork and don't really know how many senses it has… in fact there are 5 patterns in all…😉

🍀 1. どうも < doubt, uncertainty > somehow.

– It expresses a feeling of ”doubt or uncertainty”, that is: ”I don't know why it has turned out like this, or why I feel this way, or what the truth of it is.

– What follows is usually negative in sense. In many cases it can be replaced by 「なんだか」「何となく」「気のせいか」。

a. 母の病気がどうも気になってならない。
Somehow I can't stop worrying about my mother's illness.

b. 最近、彼はどうも様子がおかしい。
Lately he has seemed somehow odd.

c. あの人の考えていることは、どうもよくわからない。
I just can't make out what he is thinking.

c. 努力はしているのだが、どうもうまくいかない。
I am making the effort, but somehow it isn't going well.

d. 今日は朝からどうも気分がふさぐ.
Today I have felt somehow low since the morning.

e.

-A :奥さんの具合はいかがですか。

-B: How is your wife doing?

それがどうもね…I'm not really sure.

🍀 2. どうも「どうやら」…そうだ／…ようだ／…らしい it seems / probably.

– Used with words like 「そうだ」、「ようだ」、「らしい」 to express the speaker's inference on some particular ground. Here 「どうも」 can be replaced by 「どうやら」.

a. この空模様では、どうも雨になりそうだ。
With a sky like this it looks as if it will rain.

b. 彼の言ったことは、どうも全部うそのようだ。
What he said all seems to be lies.

c. あじの病気はどうもガンらしい。
My uncle's illness seems to be cancer.

d. この 天気模様ではどうも 台風 になりそうだ。
With the weather like this it looks as if a typhoon is coming.

🍀 3. どうも < at a loss, flustered >.

– Often used with 「困った」 or 「まいった」。。。 to stress the speaker's surprise or bewilderment.

a. ちっとも勉強しないで遊んでばかりで、どうも困った息子 です。
My son won't study at all and does nothing but play; I really don't know how to bring him up.

b.

ー A：

先輩、一曲歌ってくださいよ。
Do sing us a song!

B：これは、どうもまいったな。
This looks tough.

🍀 4.どうも < greetings >.

– Used in greetings, stressing an apology or thanks. Sometimes the second half is dropped, as in example ( c ). In practice this form is often used simply as a polite greeting, with no particular feeling behind it.

a. お手紙どうもありがとうございます。
Thank you for writing to me.

b. お待たせして、どうもすいません。
I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting.

c. 先日はどうも。
Thank you for the other day.

🍀 5. どうもない : Not at all affected.

– It carries the sense of “fine, all right, no problem at all”.

a. 彼は酒を一升ぐらい飲んでも、どうもない。
He can drink a shou of sake and be none the worse for it.

( 1 shou is 1/10 of a to, and 1 to is 18 litres => 1 shou is 1.8 litres )

b. 彼 は 徹夜 しても、どうもない。
He can stay up all night and be none the worse for it.

c. 納豆 は 食 べてみてもどうもない。
Trying natto doesn't do you any harm at all.

d.

-A ： この牛乳、ちょっと変な味しない？
This milk tastes a bit odd, doesn't it?

– B : (飲んでみて) どうもないよ
( A tries it and says ) It's fine.

———————

🍀 6.どうやら ( どうも )～そうだ・ようだ・らしい : It seems, probably….

– Usually used with words of inference such as 「そうだ」,「ようだ」,「らしい」 to express the speaker's vague sense or guess about something not clearly known.

a. このぶんでいくと、どうやら桜の開花は早まりそうだ。
At this rate the cherry blossom looks like coming out early this year.

b. 向こうから歩いて来るのは、どうやら田中さんのようだ。
The person walking towards us looks like Mr Tanaka.

c. e. 部屋から次々と人が出てくるところを見ると、どうやら会議は終わったらしい。
Judging by the way people are streaming out of the room, the meeting must have finished.

🍀 7.どうやら (こうやら) somehow managed to

– It means: finally reaching completion, or reaching the state you were aiming at, as a result of an effort, even if not quite fully.

a. 急いだので、どうやら間に合った。
I hurried, so I just about made it in time.

b. どうやら論文も完成に近づいた。
My thesis has finally got close to finished.

c. どうやら 危険を 脱した。
We somehow got out of danger.

Good luck with your studies and your exam.
Thanks to Trần Anh for sharing.