GRAMMAR DETAIL
〜か〜か
Lists two or more alternatives and asks which one applies.
Examples
電車で行きますか、バスで行きますか。
Will you go by train or by bus?
Words used
コーヒーにしますか、それとも紅茶にしますか。
Would you like coffee or tea?
Words used
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure: Put
かat the end of each alternative to ask which one applies.- Polite questions can appear side by side, as in
電車で行きますか、バスで行きますか。
- Polite questions can appear side by side, as in
- Basic usage: It asks which possibility applies rather than asserting that all the possibilities are true.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- Embedded questions
- An alternative can be embedded in another sentence using plain forms, as in
行くか行かないか決めます。This states that someone will decide whether to go, rather than directly asking the listener.
- An alternative can be embedded in another sentence using plain forms, as in
- Compared with と
電車とバスlists trains and buses together. Replacing the alternative-question markerかwithとchanges the meaning.
- A connector between alternatives
- Adding
それともmakes the introduction of another alternative more explicit. It is not required for the question to be complete.
- Adding