か (ka) - Question Particle
[Statement]か
Explanation
Turns statements into questions. Also means "or" between nouns.
Formation
Sentence + か
Examples
Usage Notes
- No question mark needed in formal Japanese
- Rising intonation in casual speech (か often omitted)
- Embedded questions: 誰が来るか知りません (I don't know who will come)
- "Or": AかB
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't use か in casual speech with rising intonation (sounds rude)
- Embedded questions keep か even in statements
- Yes/no questions: answer with はい/いいえ, not repeating the verb
Related Grammar from "Essential Particles"
は (wa) - Topic Particle
[Topic]は[Comment]
Marks the topic of the sentence - what you're talking about. The rest of the sentence is a comment about this topic.
が (ga) - Subject Particle
[Subject]が[Predicate]
Marks the grammatical subject, introduces new information, or answers "who/what" questions.
を (wo/o) - Direct Object Particle
[Object]を[Transitive Verb]
Marks the direct object of a transitive verb - the thing receiving the action.