いかが

い

か

が

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

adverb

how; in what way; how about

usually written using kana alone

Polite equivalent of どう. Used to ask about manner, state, or to make a suggestion or offer.

お加か減げんはいかがですか。
How are you feeling?
コーヒーはいかがですか。
How about some coffee?

na-adjective

questionable; doubtful

usually written using kana alone

Used in the pattern いかがなものか to express doubt or disapproval about something. Often implies that something is not quite right or acceptable.

その計けい画かくはいかがなものかと思おもいます。
I have my doubts about that plan.

See all 175 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉はいかがですかhow about (having) ~? (polite offer)
お茶ちゃはいかがですか。
Would you like some tea?
〈事こと〉はいかがでしたかhow was ~? (polite, past)
旅りょ行こうはいかがでしたか。
How was your trip?
〈人ひと〉はいかがお過すごしですかhow are you getting on/doing? (polite inquiry)
その後ごいかがお過すごしですか。
How have you been doing since then?

Expressions

いかがなものquestionable; dubious; not right

Kanji

如likeness, like, such as
何what

Related words

いかにN2
いかが is the polite, conversational way to ask 'how' (e.g. offering something), whereas いかに is literary and used for formal or rhetorical questions of manner.

Politeness

どうplainsense 1
どう is the casual way to ask 'how'; いかが is the polite counterpart used in formal speech, offers, and questions to superiors.

Don't confuse with

いかにもN2sense 1
如何にも (いかにも) means 'indeed' or 'just as expected' and shares the kanji 如何, but it is unrelated in meaning to いかが, which means 'how' or 'how about'.

Word family

いかがわしい
suspicious; dubious; unreliable · indecent; unseemly; lewd

Written forms

いかがUsage87%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Usually written in kana. The kanji form 如何 is rare and literary.
如何いかがUsage13%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Kanji form; rarely used in modern Japanese. The reading is a jukujikun.
イカガUsage<1%

Etymology

Developed from いかにか, a combination of the interrogative いかに and particle か; historical sound change produced いかが. 如何 is a conventional spelling for the resulting word.