JLPT N5 · Particles
か (ka)
か (ka) — the question marker
In short · か at the end of a sentence turns it into a question. No question mark is needed.
Pattern
-
〜です か。Is it …? -
A か BA or B
Making questions
Add か to the end to ask: がくせいです → がくせいですか (Are you a student?). The word order stays the same.
With question words
Use か together with なに / だれ / どこ etc.: これは なんですか (What is this?).
"A or B"
Between two nouns, か means "or": コーヒーか おちゃ (coffee or tea).
Examples
-
あなたは がくせいですか。
Anata wa gakusei desu ka.
Are you a student?
-
なにを たべますか。
Nani o tabemasu ka.
What will you eat?
-
コーヒーか おちゃを のみます。
Kōhī ka ocha o nomimasu.
I'll drink coffee or tea.
Between nouns, か = "or".
Common mistakes
- In polite Japanese, か does the job of the question mark — don't invert the word order like English.
- Sentence-final か (question) and "A か B" (or) are two uses of the same particle.
More grammar points
- は は (wa) — the topic particle
- を を (o) — the object particle
- に に (ni) — time, destination, location
- で で (de) — place of action & means
- と と (to) — and / together with
- の の (no) — possessive & noun linker
- へ へ (e) — direction
- も も (mo) — also / too
- から から・まで — from … to …
- より より (yori) — than (comparison)
- だけ ～だけ — “only ～”
- で ～で — place, means and cause
- が ～が — marks the subject
- か か — the question particle
- まで ～まで — “until / up to ～”
- も ～も — “also / too”
- なあ ～なあ — sentence-final feeling
- ね ～ね — “..., right? / isn’t it?”
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