connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜か〜ないか — whether or not ~
〜か〜ないか ・ かないか
Builds on か
Meaning
- whether or not ~ — poses a yes/no question about one action, as an embedded question
Key sentence
行くか行かないか、まだ迷っている。
I'm still undecided whether or not to go.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb か + same Verb ない か | Vる か Vない か | 買うか買わないか (whether or not to buy) |
Examples
試験に受かるか受からないか、とても心配だ。
I'm very worried about whether or not I'll pass the exam.
彼が来るか来ないか、誰も知らない。
No one knows whether or not he'll come.
When you can't use it
- The same verb is repeated in affirmative then negative, and the whole thing is embedded under a verb of (not) knowing or deciding — 迷う, 分からない, 決める, 確かめる.
Easily confused with
Notes
- 〜かどうか is the everyday equivalent of 'whether or not' and is often preferred: 行くかどうか分からない.
See 〜か〜ないか in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜か〜ないか the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.