JLPT N5 Grammar: The particle か

Explanation

The particle か (ka) is mainly used to mark questions in Japanese, especially in polite forms, and appears at the end of the sentence. Unlike English, you do not change word order to make a question, you simply add か.

How to use it?

Yes/No questions

This is the most common use of か at N5 level: it turns a declarative statement (a fact or description) into a yes/no question by placing か at the very end. The rest of the sentence stays exactly the same: no inversion, no auxiliary words needed. This works because Japanese relies on particles like か to signal the sentence’s purpose.

In Japanese, sentences are built around topic (は) + comment, and か attaches to the comment to ask if that comment is true about the topic. Rising intonation can help in speech, but か makes it clear and polite in writing or formal contexts.

Pattern:

  • Statement: [Topic] は [description/state/action] です (desu)／ます (masu)。
  • Question: [Topic] は [description/state/action] です (desu)／ます か (masuka)。

Examples:

  • あなたは学生です。→ あなたは学生ですか。
    Anata ha gakusei desu. → Anata ha gakusei desu ka.
    You are a student. → Are you a student?​
  • 今日は休みです。→ 今日は休みですか。
    Kyou ha yasumi desu. → Kyou ha yasumi desu ka.
    Today is a day off. → Is today a day off?​

It works with:

  • Nouns + です (学生ですか);
  • Adjectives (暑いですか);
  • Verbs in ます-form (行きますか, 食べますか).
Questions with question words

This use combines question words (interrogatives like 何 (nani/nan) , どこ (doko), いつ (itsu), だれ (dare), どれ (dore)) with か at the end to form complete, polite questions seeking specific information (not yes/no). The question word replaces the unknown element in the sentence, and か maintains politeness and clarity, especially in formal speech or writing. Unlike yes/no questions, these expect a direct answer (e.g., a place, time, person).

Question words already signal an inquiry, but adding か makes the sentence explicitly polite and question-like. Without か, it might sound abrupt or casual. The structure mirrors plain sentences: [question word + rest of sentence] + か.

Examples:

  • 何ですか。
    Nan desu ka.
    What is it?​
  • どこですか。
    Doko desu ka.
    Where is it?​
  • いま何時ですか。
    Ima nanji desu ka.
    What time is it now?
  • だれですか。
    Dare desu ka.
    Who is it?

In polite Japanese, か functions almost like the question mark “?”, and often both are written together in modern text.

か as “or” between options (AかB)

This is a different use of か from the question marker: here, か appears between two (or more) items to mean “or”, listing alternatives or choices. It connects nouns, noun phrases, or even short clauses, presenting them as options without changing the rest of the sentence. This is common in everyday speech for decisions, preferences, or uncertainty about selection.

​Japanese uses particles to link elements precisely, in this case か signals that what follows are mutually exclusive possibilities. Unlike English “or,” it doesn’t require extra words like “either,” and it stays neutral without implying preference.

Pattern:

  • Simple noun pairs: [Item A] か [Item B]
    • コーヒーかお茶
      Koohii ka ocha
      Coffee or tea.
  • Full sentence integration: [Item A] か [Item B] + を／が／は／に + [verb/rest of sentence]
    • ロンドンか東京に行きます。
      Rondon ka Tokyou ni ikimasu.
      (I) will go to London or Tokyo.
Embedded questions with か

Embedded questions use か to “nest” a question inside a larger sentence, typically with verbs expressing uncertainty or lack of knowledge like 分かりません/ wakarimasen (I don’t understand), 知りません/ shirimasen (I don’t know), or わかりません (“it’s not clear”). This structure lets you express uncertainty about “what/where/when etc.” without asking a direct question, か simply shows where the inner question ends.

Japanese requires か to clearly separate the embedded question from the main clause. The inner question uses the plain form because it’s part of a bigger sentence, not a polite standalone question. This is more natural and compact than English equivalents like “I don’t know what it is that…”

Pattern:

  • [Question word + plain verb/adjective/noun] + か + main clause (e.g., 分かりません)

Frequently used with:

  • 分かりません: For confusion/lack of understanding.
    • 何を食べるか分かりません。
      I don’t know what (someone) will eat.
  • 知りません: For lack of knowledge.
    • だれが来るか知りません。
      I don’t know who will come.
  • Other N5-friendly main clauses: まだ決まりません (“not decided yet”), いいですか (“is it OK?”).
    • いつ帰るかまだ決まりません。
      When to return is not decided yet.

Pro Tip

  • For N5, a very reliable rule is: when you want to ask a polite question, end the sentence with ですか or ~ますか.
  • When you see か in the middle of a phrase (AかB), read it as “or,” not as the final question marker.​
  • For embedded questions, remember that the inner part before か usually uses the plain form (行く, 行った, 食べる, etc.).​

Examples

  • あなたは学生ですか。
    Anata wa gakusei desu ka.
    Are you a student?​
  • これはペンですか。
    Kore wa pen desu ka.
    Is this a pen?
  • いま何時ですか。
    Ima nanji desu ka.
    What time is it now?
  • 音楽を聞きますか。
    Ongaku wo kikimasu ka.
    Do you listen to music?​
  • 本か新聞を読みますか。
    Hon ka shinbun wo yomimasu ka.
    Will you read a book or newspaper?​
  • いつ帰るか分かりません。
    Itsu kaeru ka wakarimasen.
    I do not know when (someone) will return.
  • 休みはいつですか。
    Yasumi wa itsu desu ka.
    When is the day off?​

Exercises

Exercise 1: Change the following sentences into polite questions.

  1. あなたは先生です。
    Anata ha gakusei desu.
  2. 今日は暑いです。
    Kyou ha atsui desu.
  3. この映画は有名です。
    Kono eiga ha yumei desu.
  4. ロンドンに住んでいます。
    Rondon ni sunde imasu.
  5. 日本語を勉強します。
    Nihongo wo benkyou shimasu.

Exercise 2: Fill in the right blank space with か to mean “or”.

  1. コーヒー＿お茶を＿飲みます＿。
    Koohii＿ocha wo＿nomimasu＿.
  2. ロンドン＿東京に＿行きます＿。
    Rondon＿Toukyou ni＿ikimasu＿.
  3. パン＿バターを＿買います＿。
    Pan＿bataa wo＿kaimasu＿.
  4.  朝＿夜に＿勉強します＿。
    Asa＿yoru ni＿benkyou shimasu＿.
  5. 水＿ジュースが＿いいです＿。
    Mizu＿juusu ga＿ii desu＿.

Exercise 3:Fill in か to embed the question. Use plain verb form inside. Complete with main verb.

  1. 何を＿食べる＿分かりません＿。
    Nani wo＿ taberu ＿wakarimasen＿.
  2. だれが＿来る＿知りません＿。
    Dare ga＿ kuru ＿shirimasen＿.
  3. どこに＿行く＿分かりません＿。
    Doko ni＿ iku ＿wakarimasen＿.
  4. いつ＿始まる＿知りません＿。
    Itsu＿ hajimaru ＿shirimasen＿.
  5. どれが＿いい＿分かりません＿。
    Dore ga＿ ii ＿wakarimasen＿.

Translation exercise: Translate the 3 Japanese sentences to English, then the 3 English sentences to Japanese. Use か correctly.

  1. 田中さんは日本に住みますか。
    Tanaka-san wa Nihon ni sumimasu ka.
  2. だれが先生ですか。
    Dare ga sensei desu ka.
  3. 何時に寝るか知りません。
    Nanji ni neru ka shirimasen.
  4. Is tomorrow a holiday?
  5. Where is the post office?
  6. I don’t know which bus to take.

Writing exercise: Write five daily routine sentences using today’s grammar pattern.

New words

RomajiHiraganaKanjiMeaning
gakuseiがくせい学生student
kyouきょう今日today
yasumiやすみ休みday off/rest
atsuiあつい暑いhot (weather)
ikuいく行くto go
taberuたべる食べるto eat
toukyouとうきょう東京Tokyo
rondonろんどんロンドン*London
ongakuおんがく音楽music
shinbunしんぶん新聞newspaper
wakarimasenわかりません分かりませんI don’t understand
shirimasenしりません知りませんI don’t know
penペンpen
eigaえいが映画movie

* Katakana, Kanji not used

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