How to Ask Yes/No Questions in Japanese: Basic Inquiries (... desu ka)
Hello and welcome to the adventures of Phase 2! In Phase 1, you learned to talk about yourself and the world around you.
Now, you will master the "skill of asking questions" to ask your conversation partner about things you want to know. Once you learn the magic word, your world of Japanese will instantly become interactive!
🎯 Lesson Goal
Learn to ask simple "yes" or "no" questions by adding
「か」 (ka) to the end of a sentence!
Step 1 Discover
Let's look at how this is used in a real conversation. Notice how the sentence ends.
それは本ですか？
(Sore wa hon desuka?)
はい、そうです。
(Hai, sou desu.)
ケンジさんは学生ですか？
(Kenji-san wa gakusei desuka?)
いいえ、ちがいます。会社員です。
(Iie, chigaimasu. Kaishain desu.)
Did you notice?
Emma simply added "ka" at the end of a regular sentence to turn it into a question. Also, notice how Kenji replies with "Hai" (Yes) and "Iie" (No).
Step 2 The Pattern
Here is the simple formula for asking a yes/no question.
Basic Chunk
ですか？
( desu ka?)
🔑 Key Point 1: The Magic Word "か"
In Japanese, you can easily turn any sentence into a question simply by adding "か (ka)" at the end. The intonation rises slightly at the very end of the sentence.
🌟 Key Point 2: "はい" and "いいえ"
A "〜ですか?" question is usually answered with はい (Hai) for Yes, or いいえ (Iie) for No. If you want to say "Yes, that's right", you say "はい、そうです (Hai, sou desu)".
Step 3 Pattern Practice
Let's look at more examples of how "か (ka)" is used in different situations. Read these out loud!
-
Question Is that your pen?
それはあなたのペンですか？
(Sore wa anata no pen desu ka?)
-
Question Is that building a hospital?
あのビルは病院ですか？
(Ano biru wa byouin desu ka?)
-
Question Is Japanese study interesting?
日本語の勉強は面白いですか？
(Nihongo no benkyou wa omoshiroi desu ka?)
Step 4 Make It Yours!
This is the most important step! Imagine what you would like to ask your conversation partner and create your own original questions using the Cheat Sheet below.
👉 NOUN / ADJ ですか？
Vocabulary Cheat Sheet
Adjectives (形容詞)
- おいしい oishii (delicious?)
- おもしろい omoshiroi (interesting?)
- むずかしい muzukashii (difficult?)
- べんり benri (convenient?)
Nouns (名詞)
- しごと shigoto (work?)
- しゅみ shumi (hobby?)
- やすみ yasumi (day off?)
- てんき tenki (weather?)
Bonus Go Beyond the Basics
Want to sound more natural? Here is how you can give strong negative answers and how to ask questions casually with your friends!
🙅♀️ 1. Negative
いいえ、ちがいます。
(Iie, chigaimasu.)
ううん、ちがう。
(Uun, chigau.)
🤝 2. Friendly & Casual
学生？
("Gakusei?" - with rising intonation)
おいしい？
(Oishii? - Is it delicious?)
Summary Lesson Review
The Magic Word: Add 「か」(ka) at the end of a sentence with a rising intonation to turn it into a Yes/No question.
Answering: Use 「はい」(Hai) for Yes and 「いいえ」(Iie) for No.
Casual Tone: With friends, drop "desu ka" and simply say the noun or adjective with a rising intonation.
Practice Drill
Explanation