Japanese for English speakers School · Lesson 2

Questions

Form questions in Japanese by adding か (ka) at the end of a sentence. Practice with も (mo, also/too) and the assertive ending よ (yo).

Conversation

  1. Lindo Lindo

    君も猫ですか？

    Kimi mo nekodesu ka?

    Are you a cat too?

    Tip: <kimi> = you. While it is not common to use personal pronouns in Japanese, it is still admissible in some cases. <mo> = particle to say "also / too" <ka> = particle to place at the end of a sentence to make a question.

  2. PX296 PX296

    いいえ、ロボットですよ

    Īe, robottodesu yo

    No, I am a robot

    Tip: <kuma> = bear <yo> = particle to place at the end of a sentence to reinforce your statement and convey a nunce of correction. Like "it is not like that!"

  3. Lindo Lindo

    お名前は？

    Onamae wa?

    What is your name?

    Tip: Literally: "your name?"

  4. PX296 PX296

    ピー・エックス・２９６号です

    Pī ekkusu 296 desu

    It is PX296

    Tip: <ekkusu> = X (the English alphabet is pronounced in Japanese in a slightly different way) <gō> = number (suffix to place after special series of numbers like cyborgs, robots, probes)

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you make a question in Japanese?

Add か (ka) to the end of a polite sentence: 猫です → 猫ですか (is it a cat?). No need to change word order.

What does the particle よ mean?

An emphatic sentence-ending particle — asserts your statement, conveys a sense of 'you know!' or correction.

How is も different from は?

は marks the topic. も means 'also/too' — replaces は or が when adding to a previous statement: 私もです = 'me too'.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Japanese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.

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