だれ / どなた
ENWho
JA「だれ」(ふつう) ／ 「どなた」(ていねい)
Explanation
Re-introduction of the question word for people, parallel to だれ／どなた. The register split is the key point: だれ is the everyday form; どなた elevates the register for strangers, customers, and formal contexts. Like other wh-words at N5, takes が (never は) when asking about new information.
Examples
JAだれが きましたか。
ENWho came?
JAこれは だれの かばんですか。
ENWhose bag is this?
JAどなたですか。
ENWho is it (polite)?
JAだれと いきますか。
ENWith whom are you going?
JAあの 人は だれですか。
ENWho is that person?
JAだれの ほんですか。
ENWhose book is this?
JAどなたが せんせいですか。
ENWho is the teacher?
JAあの ひとは だれですか。
ENWho is that person?
JAどなたが やまだ先生ですか。
ENWho is the teacher Yamada?
JAこれは だれの ですか。
ENWhose is this?
Common mistakes
✗ 誰さんですか。
✓ 誰ですか。 / どなたですか。
誰 (だれ) is a question word and does not take the honorific suffix さん. The polite version is どなた (a separate word). Mixing 誰 + さん sounds infantile or sarcastic.
✗ だれは きましたか。
✓ だれが きましたか。
Question word in subject position takes が, never は. だれは would imply 'as for [who]' — but the very point is we don't know who. The answer also uses が: '田中さんが きました'.
✗ だれですか きましたか。
✓ だれが きましたか。
Question-word subject takes が — directly before the verb, not as a separate copula clause. 'だれです' would be a noun-predicate sentence ('who is it?'); for 'who came', use だれ + が + 来ました + か.
Register variants — both forms are correct
These forms differ in register, formality, or pragmatic context — not in grammaticality. Pick by context.
neutral — default polite (です/ます) register, fine in ordinary polite conversation やまださんは だれ ですか。
honorific (尊敬) — elevates Yamada; use when Yamada is socially elevated (customer, senior, VIP, unknown visitor) やまださんは どなた ですか。
Both forms are grammatical and polite. The distinction is REFERENT-elevation (尊敬), not sentence-level formality: だれ is the neutral default and is appropriate in polite/formal/business/academic contexts; どなた adds honorific elevation to the person being asked about.
Wrong / corrected pairs
✗ だれの くるまは どれですか。
✓ どれが だれの くるまですか。
Question word in subject position takes が. Reorder so the unknown takes が.
✗ だれは いますか。
✓ だれが いますか。
Q-word だれ takes が, never は.