だれの

“だれの” (dare no) means “whose” in Japanese, and it’s used to ask about possession or ownership. When followed by a noun, it forms a question asking who something belongs to.

Examples:

1. だれのかばんですか？ (Dare no kaban desu ka?) – Whose bag is this?
2. だれのくつですか？ (Dare no kutsu desu ka?) – Whose shoes are these?
3. だれのペンですか？ (Dare no pen desu ka?) – Whose pen is this?
4. だれの本ですか？ (Dare no hon desu ka?) – Whose book is this?

Response Examples:

• わたしのかばんです。(Watashi no kaban desu.) – It’s my bag.
• たなかさんのくつです。(Tanaka-san no kutsu desu.) – They’re Tanaka’s shoes.

🧠Important Notes for Learners:

1, When answering “だれの” questions, you typically replace “だれ” with the appropriate person:

• わたしの – my
• あなたの – your
• [name]さんの ([name]-san no) – Mr./Ms. [name]’s

2, Unlike English, Japanese doesn’t change the form of “whose” based on whether the noun is singular or plural.