The Question Marker

Vocabulary

行(い)くい・くu-verbto go

食(た)べるた・べるru-verbto eat

誰(だれ)だれwho

何(なに)なにwhat

どこwhere

いつwhen

どうしてwhy

なぜwhy (formal)

どうhow

見(み)るみ・るru-verbto watch

In polite speech, the question mark is often replaced by the particle か.

Usage

Simply add か to the end of a polite sentence. No question mark is strictly necessary in traditional writing, though the modern period or ? is often used.

行(い)きましたか。Did you go?

これは何(なに)ですか。What is this?

映画(えいが)を見(み)ましたか。Did you watch the movie?

Casual Questions

In casual speech, do not use か to ask yes/no questions. It can sound surprisingly sarcastic or harsh. Instead, just raise your intonation.

食(た)べる？Will you eat? ↗

行(い)く？Are you going? ↗

分(わ)かった？Did you understand? ↗

Question Words

誰(だれ)

—Who

何(なに)

—What

どこ

—Where

いつ

—When

どうして / なぜ

—Why

どう

—How

どこに行(い)きますか？Where are you going?

何(なに)を食(た)べますか？What will you eat?

いつ来(き)ますか？When will you come?