Kotomora
JLPT N5Particle
Furigana

Question marker

Add to the end of a polite sentence to ask the listener a direct question. It works for both yes-no questions and questions that ask for specific information.

Two kinds of direct question

A yes-no question asks whether the whole sentence is true. When the sentence contains a question word such as “what,” “where,” or “when,” that word shows which information is missing, while final marks the sentence as a polite direct question.

A yes-no question

A

これはなかさんのかさですか

Is this Tanaka's umbrella?

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B

はい、そうです。

Yes, it is.

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An information question

A

まえなんですか

What is your name?

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B

とうです。

I'm Sato.

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なに asks for the missing information; final makes the whole sentence a direct question.

With nouns, adjectives, and verbs

この部屋へやしずですか

Is this room quiet?

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そのえいおもしろですか

Is that movie interesting?

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明日あしたはたらますか

Will you work tomorrow too?

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More examples

明日あしたやすですか

Is tomorrow a day off?

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このりょうからですか

Is this dish spicy?

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なかさんは今日きょうませんか

Won't Tanaka be coming today?

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かいはもうわりましたか

Has the meeting already ended?

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えきはどこですか

Where is the station?

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なんみせますか

What time does the store open?

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