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Can someone help me to understand the difference between these two. From what
I understand they both mean "Where do you live?"
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-24T03:54:48.820
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2016-10-25T21:04:48.600
2016-10-25T02:25:42.347
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question
word-choice words
O-sumai-wa dochira-desu ka? vs Doko-ni sunde i-masu ka?
Just that the first one is the polite version, used when you're talking to
complete strangers or people in positions higher than you, or who are older
than you.

"Doko ni sunde imasu ka" can be used with respect to the sets of people as
mentioned above but it is simply lesser in its formality compared to the first
one, but is respectful and polite nonetheless.

Any standard Japanese learner would be using the second version, and I think
that the first one would be used by those who've been using Japanese for quite
a good while now and who know some business-Japanese as well <-- This, I mean
in the case of foreigners who are Japanese students.
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2016-10-24T04:16:41.470
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2016-10-24T06:24:29.770
2016-10-24T06:24:29.770
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answer