Meaning & usage
どうも expresses a vague, unexplainable feeling that somehow something is the case, often that something is wrong or cannot quite be done. It is a sentence adverb placed before the predicate, often with a negative verb like わからない or くつろげない, or with expressions of conjecture like ようだ and 気がする. It softens a negative judgment, as in 相性がよくない or イメージが悪い, by presenting it as a personal impression rather than a definite fact.
Example sentences 8
-
あの投手とはどうも相性がよくない。
Somehow the pitcher always proves a tough customer to me.
-
しらない人のなかにいると、私はどうもくつろげない。
I can never feel at ease among strangers.
-
どうも彼の考えがよくわからない。
I can't figure out what he means.
-
どうも仕事が手に付かない。
Somehow I cannot settle down to work.
-
どうもここは私には場違いな気がする。
I feel that I don't really belong here.
-
あの人はどうもイメージが悪い。
He makes a bad impression.
-
どうもコンピューターの調子が悪いようだ。
It seems that something is wrong with the computer.
-
どうも飲み過ぎたようだ。
Apparently, I got too drunk.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 3 past exam questions.
