Asking questions
Questions with か, the question words from いつ and どこ to いくら and どうして, 何も and だれも with a negative, and at Higher 何か, どこでも and どれも.
Learn
Asking questions, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Ask yes-or-no and either-or questions with か
Put か at the end of a statement and it becomes a question: 日本人です。 turns into 日本人ですか。 You can write a full stop or a question mark after か. For an either-or question, ask two questions in a row: ねこですか、 犬ですか。
Put the question word where the answer will go
Japanese keeps the word order of a statement and swaps in the question word: ゆきさんは こうえんに 行きます becomes ゆきさんは どこに 行きますか。 The answer goes back in the same place: こうえんに 行きます。 A question word is followed by が, never は.
Ask who, what, where and when
だれ is who (どなた is its polite form), 何 is what, どこ is where and いつ is when. Before です and before a counter, 何 is read なん: 何ですか, 何時, 何人. Before を or が it is なに: 何を 食べますか.
Ask how, why and what kind
どう asks how something is (学校は どうですか。), and いかが is its polite form for offers: おちゃは いかがですか。 どうして asks why, and you answer with から. どんな asks what kind (どんな おんがくが すきですか), and どうやって asks how you do something (どうやって 来ましたか).
Ask how much, how many and how long
いくら asks a price: これは いくらですか。 いくつ asks how many things or how old someone is, and どのくらい asks how long or how far: どのくらい かかりますか. 何 with a counter asks the number of something: 何人, 何まい, 何時間.
Ask which
どれ asks which one, out of three or more: どれが いいですか. どの goes before a noun: どの 本ですか. どちら asks which of two, and it is also a polite way to ask where: どちらから 来ましたか.
Say no one, nothing and nowhere
A question word with も and a negative verb means no one, nothing or nowhere: だれも いませんでした, 何も 食べませんでした. Particles like に and へ go before the も: どこにも 行きません.
Say everyone, something and anythingHigher only
With a positive verb, a question word and も can mean every: どの クラスも 楽しいです, and いつも means always. With か it means some: だれか (someone), 何か (something), どこか (somewhere), as in しゅうまつ どこかへ 行きたいです. With でも it means any: 何でも 食べます, いつでも いいです.
Asking questions key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- か
- The question ending. Added to a statement, it turns it into a question: 行きますか.
- Question word
- A word that asks for information, such as だれ, 何, どこ or いつ. It sits where the answer will go.
- なに and なん
- The two readings of 何 (what). なん comes before です and counters, なに before を and が.
- どうして
- Why. Answer with a reason and から: たのしいですから.
- いくら and いくつ
- How much (a price) and how many (things, or years of age).
- どちら
- Which of two. It is also a polite way to ask where or who.
- どなた
- The polite way to ask who: どなたですか.
- だれも, 何も and どこにも
- No one, nothing and nowhere, always with a negative verb.
- 何か and 何でもHigher only
- Something and anything: 何か 食べましたか asks if you ate anything, and 何でも means anything at all.
Common mistakes in Asking questions
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Moving the question word to the front, as English does: どこ ゆきさんは 行きますか.
Keep the order of a statement and put the question word where the answer goes: ゆきさんは どこに 行きますか. Keep its particle too: どこに, だれと.
Using a positive verb after だれも or 何も, as in だれも 来ました.
だれも, 何も and どこにも need a negative verb: だれも 来ませんでした.
Asking いくつですか when you want a price.
いくら is for money and いくつ for a number of things: これは いくらですか, りんごは いくつ ありますか.
Dropping か from a polite question, as in 日本人です？
In polite speech and in writing, end a question with か: 日本人ですか. A rising voice on its own sounds casual.
Reading 何 as なに where it should be なん, as in なにですか or なにじ.
Before です and before a counter, 何 is read なん: 何ですか, 何時, 何人.
Practice
Try a Asking questions question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which sentence means 'I went to the department store, but I didn't buy anything'?
- デパートへ 行きましたが、何か かいませんでした。
- デパートへ 行きましたが、何も かいませんでした。
- デパートへ 行きましたが、何も かいました。
- デパートへ 行きましたが、何を かいませんでした。
Show the answer and the working
Answer: デパートへ 行きましたが、何も かいませんでした。
何も with a negative verb means nothing, not anything: 何も かいませんでした, I didn't buy anything.
- が in the middle means but.
- 何も with a negative means nothing.
- 何も かいませんでした: didn't buy anything.