particle N5 essential casualpolitewritten

か — question marker, 'or', and embedded questions

か

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Meaning

① question marker: (makes a sentence a question)

② 'or' (alternatives): or — chooses between options

③ embedded / indefinite: whether ~; (with a question word) some-

Key sentence

① question marker

お元気げんきですか。

Are you well?

② 'or' (alternatives)

コーヒーか紅茶こうちゃを飲のみます。

I'll drink coffee or tea.

③ embedded / indefinite

誰だれか来きたようだ。

It seems someone came.

Formation

Attaches to	Form	Example
End of a clause / phrase	… + か	学生がくせいですか / 行いくか

Examples

① question marker

もう昼ひるごはんを食たべましたか。

Have you eaten lunch yet?

② 'or' (alternatives)

電車でんしゃかバスで行いく。

I'll go by train or bus.

③ embedded / indefinite

行いくかどうかまだ分わからない。

I still don't know whether I'll go.

When you can't use it

A plain-form statement + か as a yes/no question to an equal can sound blunt or challenging (本当ほんとうか！). In ordinary polite speech the question rides on ですか/ますか, or in casual speech on rising intonation alone (行いく？). question marker

Notes

In casual speech the question か is often dropped, leaving rising intonation to do the work: 「もう食たべた？」

See か in real sentences

Jengo shows か the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.

Study it in Jengo

Sources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.

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