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Learn about the question-marking particle
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Hi, everyone. |
Welcome to the Ultimate Japanese Particle Guide. |
In this lesson, you'll learn the particle... |
か (ka) |
This particle is often referred to as the question particle, because it usually comes at the end of a sentence and turns it into a question. |
Unlike question sentences in English, when a statement becomes a question in Japanese, the word order stays the same. |
Let's see how it functions in a sentence. Risa, how do you say "Ken is Japanese"? |
ケンは日本人です。(Ken wa Nihon-jin desu) |
So to ask “Is Ken Japanese?”... |
...all you have to do is add か (ka) at the end of the sentence. |
ケンは日本人ですか?(Ken wa Nihon-jin desu ka?) |
It's very simple, but be sure to use the rising intonation. Let's hear it again. |
ケンは日本人ですか。(Ken wa Nihon-jin desu ka.) |
In English, you have to change the word order. For example “Ken is Japanese” changes to “Is Ken Japanese?” But in Japanese, you don't have to do that... |
...just add か (ka) to the sentence. |
Let’s do one more example. How do you say “Ken can speak Japanese”? |
ケンは日本語ができます。(Ken wa Nihongo ga dekimasu.) |
And to ask “Can Ken speak Japanese?” |
ケンは日本語ができますか。(Ken wa Nihongo ga dekimasu ka.) |
Now those sentences that we just gave were all formal sentences. How about informal sentences? |
It’s a little bit different. - you just add の (no) at the end of the sentence in plain form." |
For example, クミは英語がわかる。(Kumi wa Eigo ga wakaru.) |
becomes クミは英語がわかるの?(Kumi wa Eigo ga wakaru no?) |
So people often use の (no) instead. |
Let's take a look at a few more examples. |
今夜、予定がありますか。 (Konya, yotei ga arimasu ka.) |
“Do you have any plans tonight?” |
日本は初めてですか。 (Nihon wa hajimete desu ka.) |
“Is this your first time in Japan?” |
イタリア料理はおいしいですか。 (Itaria ryōri wa oishii desu ka.) |
“Is Italian food delicious?” |
This particle can also indicate alternatives. |
It comes after choices. We often omit the last "ka." |
It corresponds to "or" in English. Let's see how it functions in a sentence. |
紅茶かコーヒーが飲みたいです。(Kōcha ka kōhī ga nomitai desu.) |
This means "I want to drink tea or coffee." Let's break it down. First we have... |
紅茶かコーヒー (Kōcha ka kōhī) |
This means "tea or coffee." Notice how the particle comes after the first choice. |
Following that, we have the particle that marks an object of desire. |
が (ga) |
Finally, we have the verb in the -tai form, which expresses desire. |
飲みたいです (nomitai desu.) |
Let's take a look at a few more examples with the same particle used as an alternative marker. |
車かバイクで広島に行きたいです。(Kuruma ka baiku de Hiroshima ni ikitai desu.) |
"I would like to go to Hiroshima by car or bike." |
明日か明後日、荷物が届きます。(Ashita ka asatte, nimotsu ga todokimasu.) |
"The parcel will arrive tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." |
紅茶か緑茶かコーヒーがあります。(Kōcha ka ryokucha ka kōhī ga arimasu.) |
“There is tea, green tea, or coffee.” |
Now, let's use what you learned in this lesson. |
We learned how to say “Is Ken Japanese?” |
ケンは日本人ですか。(Ken wa Nihon-jin desu ka.) |
When the particle か (ka) comes at the end of a sentence, it turns it into a question. So, the structure is... |
[sentence] か (ka) |
Now let's try with "Is today Friday?" |
Here are the words for "today" and "Friday." |
今日 (kyō) |
金曜日(kin-yōbi) |
The affirmative sentence "Today is Friday" is... |
今日は金曜日です。(Kyō wa kin-yōbi desu) |
Try to say "Is today Friday?" in Japanese. [pause] |
The answer is... |
今日は金曜日ですか。(Kyō wa kin-yōbi desu ka.) |
Did you get it right? In this sentence, the particle か (ka) marks a question. |
Let's try one more. We also learned how to say "I want to drink tea or coffee." |
紅茶かコーヒーが飲みたいです。(Kōcha ka kōhī ga nomitai desu.) |
Here the particle か (ka) marks alternatives, meaning "or." The structure is... |
[item 1] か (ka) [item 2] |
Now let's try with "I want to eat ramen or pasta." |
Here are the words for "ramen" and "pasta." |
ラーメン (rāmen) |
パスタ(pasuta) |
Try to say "I want to eat ramen or pasta" in Japanese. [pause] |
The answer is... |
ラーメンかパスタが食べたいです。(Rāmen ka pasuta ga tabetai desu.) |
Well done! In this case, the particle か (ka) marks an alternative, ramen or pasta! |
In this lesson, you learned about the particle... |
か |
In the next lesson, you'll learn about the particle... |
も |
See you in the next lesson. Bye! |
Bye~ |
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