This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word shiteru, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, similar expressions and more!
Contents
What does shiteru mean?
Shiteru means doing in Japanese. It is the shortened form of shiteiru, which has the same meaning but is more formal. Both terms are based on the verb suru (する), whose meaning is to do.
The following question is a really common way to use shiteru, often in text messages:
今何してるの?
Ima nani shiteru no?
いまなにしてるの?
What are you doing now?
Note that the verb suru is often added to another word to form a different meaning from its original do. For example, ai suru (愛する) means to love and becomes ai shiteru. Here, the shiteru functions a little bit like the -ing form (present participle) in English.
君を愛してる。
Kimi wo ai shiteru.
きみをあいしてる。
I love you (lit: I am loving you).
Below, we take a look at some examples of how to use shiteru in Japanese.
Example sentences using shiteru
To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji on the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last.
うるさいね！隣の人は何してるんだろう？
Urusai ne! Tonari no hito wa nani shiterun darou?
うるさいね！となりのひとはなにしてるんだろう？
It’s noisy, isn’t it? I wonder what the neighbor is doing.
彼は何してる人?
Kare wa nani shiteru hito?
かれはなにしてるひと？
What does he do? (casual)
今、弟はサッカーの練習してるらしい。
Ima, otouto wa sakkaa no renshuu shiteru rashii.
いま、おとうとはさっかーのれんしゅうしてるらしい。
My younger brother is apparently practicing soccer now.
Shiteru vs. Shiteiru
As I wrote above, shiteru and shiteiru have the same meaning, but shiteiru is more formal. Well, actually shitteiru is the more standard (i.e., correct) Japanese. In general then, you should stick to using shiteiru instead of shiteru. This goes especially for when talking to your boss or strangers.
The one main exception is in text messages or emails to friends like the “nani shiteru no?” given above. In that context, shiteru is more natural.
Shiteru vs. Shitteru
One thing to remember is that, despite having seemingly similar sounds, shiteru is completely different from shitteru (知ってる、しってる), which means know and is based on the verb shiru (知る), to know.
The way to distinguish between the two words is to remember that shitteru has a small “tsu” (っ), which is a silent market that essentially functions as a glottal stop. In other words, shitteru has a slight pause between the shi and tteru, whereas shiteru has no such pause.
If this sounds confusing for now, don’t stress. I recommend learning the hiragana script instead of relying on roman letters. It will help clear up misunderstandings such as this one.
Rohan's favorite resource for learning Japanese is JapanesePod101, one of the best tools for getting started with the language. Sign up for a free lifetime account here.
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