γγ§γγ
... desu ka
Is it...?
πΈ Making Polite Questions with 'ka' πΈ
π¬ Dialogue
Arekkusu-san, gakusei desu ka.
Alex, are you a student?
Hai, gakusei desu.
Yes, I am a student.
Tanaka-san wa sensei desu ka.
Is Mr. Tanaka a teacher?
Iie, sensei ja arimasen.
No, he is not a teacher.
Tanaka-san wa Nihon-jin desu ka.
Is Mr. Tanaka Japanese?
Hai, Nihon-jin desu.
Yes, he is Japanese.
π Vocabulary
5 wordsβ Key Sentence
A wa B desu ka?
Is A B?
- Pattern: [A] γ― [B] γ§γγγ
- Meaning: Is A B?
Amerika-jin desu ka.
Are you American?
Sensei desu ka.
Are you a teacher?
π Explanation
To turn a statement into a question in Japanese, you simply add the particle γ (ka) to the end of the sentence.
The particle γ acts like a spoken question mark. In polite Japanese, you do not need to change the word order like in English.
When answering, you can use γ―γ (hai) for 'yes' or γγγ (iie) for 'no'.
Gakusei desu ka?
= 'Are you a student?'
Nihon-jin desu ka?
= 'Are you Japanese?'
π Quiz
How do you ask 'Are you a teacher?' politely?