German word

wo

Pronunciation

IPA/voː/

Meaning

  • adverbwhere

Example

Wo wohnst du?

Where do you live?

Illustration for wo (where)

More examples

Entschuldigung, wo ist die Toilette?

Excuse me, where is the toilet?

Core concept

A question that points to a place and asks for its location.

Common phrases

  • Wo ist die Toilette

    where is the toilet

  • Wo ist der Bahnhof

    where is the train station

Similar words

wohin: Asks where someone or something is going.
woher: Asks where someone or something is coming from.
hier: Indicates a place near the speaker.
dort: Indicates a place away from the speaker.

Definition in German

Ein Adverb für Ortsfragen, das sowohl in direkten Fragen als auch in Nebensätzen gebraucht wird.

Word origin

German wo developed from the Germanic question word ancestral to English where.

Usage tips

  • German wo normally asks where something is, while wohin asks where something is going.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word