Questions
か, question words and answering.
To ask a question, add か to the end of a sentence. The word order doesn't change. In writing, a polite question usually ends with 。, though ？ is common in casual writing.
- Gakusei desu ka.Are you a student?
- Kōhī o nomimasu ka.Do you drink coffee?
Casual questions
In casual speech, questions usually drop か and rise in pitch at the end, as in English. だ is dropped too: 本当？ "Really?" Ending with の makes a question softer and asks for an explanation.
- Ashita, iku?Are you going tomorrow?
- Doko ni iku no?Where are you going?
Question words
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何 | nani, nan | what |
| 誰 | dare | who |
| どなた | donata | who, polite |
| どこ | doko | where |
| いつ | itsu | when |
| どう | dō | how |
| どれ | dore | which, of three or more |
| どの | dono | which, before a noun |
| どちら, どっち | dochira, dotchi | which, of two |
| なぜ, どうして | naze, dōshite | why |
| いくら | ikura | how much (price) |
| いくつ | ikutsu | how many; how old |
| どんな | donna | what kind of |
何 is read なん before d, t and n sounds and before counters (何ですか, 何時 nanji, 何人 nannin), and なに elsewhere (何を, 何が). どうして is more common in speech than なぜ.
- Kore wa ikura desu ka.How much is this?
- Nihon wa dō deshita ka.How was Japan?
Answering
| Word | Use |
|---|---|
| はい hai | Yes; polite |
| ええ ee | Yes; softer, in conversation |
| うん un | Yeah; casual |
| いいえ iie | No; polite |
| いや iya | No; casual |
| ううん uun | Nope; casual |
Answers often repeat the verb instead of a yes or no: 行きますか。 行きます。 はい and いいえ say whether the question was right, so after a negative question, はい agrees with the negative:
- Samuku nai desu ka.Aren't you cold?
- Hai, samuku nai desu.No, I'm not.Literally: right, (I'm) not cold
Question word + か or も
A question word with か means "some-". With も and a negative verb, it means "no-" or "not any-".
| Word | With か | With も |
|---|---|---|
| 何 nani | 何か nanika, something | 何も nani mo, nothing (with a negative) |
| 誰 dare | 誰か dareka, someone | 誰も dare mo, no one (with a negative) |
| どこ doko | どこか dokoka, somewhere | どこにも doko ni mo, nowhere (with a negative) |
| いつ itsu | いつか itsuka, some day | いつも itsumo, always |
| どれ dore | どれか doreka, one of them | どれも dore mo, every one; none (with a negative) |
が and を drop out before も, but other particles stay: どこにも, 誰とも.
- Nanika nomimasu ka.Would you like something to drink?
- Dare mo imasen.There's no one here.
- Kinō wa doko ni mo ikimasen deshita.I didn't go anywhere yesterday.
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Basic sentences cards.
How do you turn a polite statement into a question?
Add か to the end.
How do you usually ask a question in casual speech?
Drop か (and だ) and raise the pitch at the end.
What does の at the end of a casual question add?
It softens the question and asks for an explanation.
なん or なに: how is 何 (what) read before です?
なん (nan)
What does いくら (ikura) ask?
How much: the price.
Asked 行かないんですか ('Aren't you going?'), which word starts your answer if you're not going: はい or いいえ?
はい: はい、行きません。
What does a question word + か mean, as in 何か (nanika)?
'Some-': 何か is 'something'.
How do you say 'no one' using 誰 (dare)?
誰も with a negative verb.
How do you say 'nowhere' using どこ (doko) and a negative verb?
どこにも
What does いつも (itsumo) mean?
Always.