ISORI

か

JLPT N5:

question marker

At the end of a sentence, か turns it into a question.

How to form it

  • Add か to the end of a polite sentence: 日本人(にほんじん)です becomes 日本人(にほんじん)ですか.
  • The word order does not change. A question word goes where the answer would be: どこに行(い)きますか (where are you going?).
  • In casual speech, questions usually drop か and rise in pitch instead: 行(い)く？ After a noun or な-adjective, だ is dropped too: 学生(がくせい)？

Examples

これは本(ほん)ですか。

Is this a book?

何(なに)を食(た)べますか。

What will you eat?

Notes

  • A plain sentence + か can sound blunt in casual speech. Many speakers ask with の instead: 行(い)くの？
  • 〜ませんか makes an invitation: 一緒(いっしょ)に行(い)きませんか (won't you come with me?).
  • Between nouns, か means "or": コーヒーか紅茶(こうちゃ) (coffee or tea).

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