
The Question-Indicating Particle
Kanojo wa
kanada-jin desu.
She is Canadian.
Kanojo wa
kanada-jin desu
ka.
Is she
Canadian?
A second major
function of ka
is after
interrogative words to change
their specific meanings into indefinite meanings:
itu ---->
itu
ka
when -->
sometime
Itu Nihon ni
kimasita ka.
When (did)
(you) come (to) Japan?
Itu
ka
Nihon ni
ikitai desu.
(I) want (to) go (to) Japan sometime.
doko ---->
doko
ka
where -->
somewhere
Kinou doko ni
ikimasita ka.
Where (did)
(you) go yesterday?
Kinou
doko
ka
ni ikimasita
ka.
(Did) (you) go
somewhere yesterday?
nani ----> nani
ka
what -->
something
Nani ni
simasu
ka.
What (will)
you have?
Nani
ka
hosii desu
ka.
(Do) (you)
want something?
dare ----> dare
ka
who -->
someone
Kare wa dare desu
ka.
Who is
he?
Dare
ka ni
kiite
kudasai.
Please ask someone.
Sono hito wa Nihon-jin desu.
That person is Japanese.
Sono hito wa Nihon-jin desu ka.
Is that person Japanese?
Kanojo wa
Igirisu-jin desu.
She is English.
Kanojo wa Igirisu-jin desu ka.
Is she English?
Kare wa yakyuu no
senshu desu.
He is (a) baseball player.
Kare wa yakyuu no senshu desu ka.
Is he (a) baseball player?
Soto wa samui
desu.
(It) is cold outside.
Soto wa samui desu ka.
Is (it) cold outside?
Kare wa Tanaka-san
no tomodati desu.
He is Tanaka-san's friend.
Kare wa Tanaka-san no tomodati desu ka.
Is he Tanaka-san's friend?
Sore wa kare no
atarasii pasokon desu.
That is his new personal computer.
Sore wa kare no atarasii pasokon desu ka.
Is that his new personal computer?
(back to Particle Menu -- click here)
The content of this Butler Consulting, Inc. WWW site is copyright © 2001, 2003 by
Ken Butler, 1-12-905 Higashi Kanagawa, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan 211-0044