Course Title: FOREIGN LANGUAGE II

Course Code: FOLA 02

Coverage: MIDTERM / Module 1

Topic/s:
• WH Questions

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

• Recognize WH Questions in Japanese;
• Knows how to use “KA” Particle; and
• Construct simple Japanese Question

To do list/Activities:

1. Reading
2. Perform the set of activities; and
3. Comply with the performance task
Discussion:

• The question Particle ka

Regardless whether a question is expecting an answer with Yes or No or an

answer with some content information, all Japanese questions end in the question particle
ka. The question mark (?) is not supposed to be used in the Japanese orthography
system, but it is actually very commonly used in Japanese novels and magazines. Here
question mark is used only in the cases where its presence will clarify the interpretation.

Topic 1 - YES – NO QUESTIONS

In previous lesson you learned how to make a statement sentence.

Example:
Ano hito wa Yamada – san desu. That person is Miss Yamada

You can easily convert a statement to yes – no question just by adding the
questions particle ka at the end. Make sure to use the rising intonation when you say it.

Example:
Ano hito wa Yamada – san desu ka. Is that person Miss Yamada?

- EXPRESSING AGREEMENT WITH HAI AND DISAGREEMENT WITH IE

Hai shows agreement and ie shows disagreement. When the questions is a simple
affirmative Yes – No questions, hai and ie correspond to Yes and No, respectively. Your
answer to a Yes – No question can be just hai or ie, but it can also be the slightly longer:

Example:
Hai, so desu Yes, it is
Ie, chigaimasu No, it isn’t

It can also be a full sentence like:

Example:
Hai, watashi wa Nihon – jin desu Yes I’m Japanese
OR
Ie, watashi wa Nihon-jin ja arimasen. No, I am not Japanese

ORAL PRACTICE:

Practice asking the following yes –no questions by reading the questions and answer out
loud.
 Are wa inu desu ka
Ie
Anata wa Nihon-jin desu ka.
Ie, chigaimasu
Amerika –jin desu ka.
Hai, so desu
Ano hito wa Maiku –san desu ka.
Kore wa borupen desu ka.

Topic 2 - Asking Who is it?

Let’s learn how to ask the identity of the people around us, using the question word
dare/donata (who), as well as how to answer such question.

- The question word Dare

The Japanese counterpart for who is dare. To ask a question using dare, start
from a typical statement sentence, but just place dare at the position where you would
expect the answer to be, and add the question particle ka at the end of it.

Example:

Ano hito wa dare desu ka. Who is that person?

Maiku – san desu. He is mike.
OR
It can be a full- sentence, as in:

Ano hito wa Maiku –san desu. That person is Mike.

- The question word Donata

If you want to show respect to the person you are inquiring about, use donata
instead of dare. You can also use kata instead of hito (person) to make your sentence
polite. Remember that kata cannot be used independently but must follow some
demonstrative adjective such as ano(that), as in:

Ano kata wa donata desu ka. Who is that person over there?

Acknowledging information

Whenever your conversation partner provides you with some information, you
should acknowledge it by saying A so desu ka, which means oh really? o is that so? Or
I see. You can also just say A(oh) which a falling intonation, if you feel like you are saying
A, so desu ka too many times. If you do not give such acknowledgements, your
conversation partner will think that you are not paying attention or are upset for some
reason.
 - CORE FAMILY MEMBERS
The following table lists basic terms for core family members.
Chichi Ones own father
Otosan Someone’s else’s father
Haha One’s own mother
Okasan Someone’s else ‘smother
Ani One’s own older brother
Onisan Someone’s else’s brother
Ane One’s own older sister
Onesan Someone’s else’s older sister
Ototo One’s own younger brother
Ototosan Someone’s else’s younger brother
Imoto One’s own younger sister
Imotosan Someone’s else’s younger sister

- Other people

The following are useful terms that show human relationships other than family.
Sensei Teacher
Gakusei Student
Doryo Colleague
Joshi Superior
Tomodachi Friend
Boifurendo Boyfriend
Garufurendo Girlfriend

- Indicating WHOSE with particle NO

To specify whose, just take person’s name or a pronoun and add the particle no,
as in Maiku – san no (MIKE’S) or watashi no (my). As you can see, no in this use is similar
to apostrophes in english. You can use no for specifying the owner of things, as in:

Maiku-san no hon Mike’s book

Watashi no kaban My bag

You can also use no for specifying human relationship more precisely, as below:
Maiku –san no okasan Mike’s mother
Watashi no haha My mother
Watashi no gakusei My student
Maiku – san no okasan no onisan no Mikes mother’s older brother’s friend
tomodachi
 - ORAL PRACTICE:

Practice asking about people by reading the following questions and answering them out
loud.
Ano hito wa dare desu ka.
Yoko – san no imotosan desu.
A so desu ka.
Ano hito wa dare desu ka.
Watashi no imoto desu.
A, so desu .
Ano kata wa donata desu ka.
Watashi no sensei desu.
Ano sensei wa donata desu ka.
Sanches sensei desu.

Topic 3: Asking what is it

Now lets learn how to ask about the identity of things and animals around us using
the question word nani/nan(what)

- THE QUESTION WORD NANI/NAN

To find out the identity of things and animals, use the question word nani/nan
(what). This word is pronounced as nani independently, but is pronounced as nan in
some contexts. For exampke, when followed by desu (to be), it is pronounced as nan.
You can ask the identity of animals, things in the room, buildings in the town, foods at the
restaurant, college major, hobby, and so forth, with nan desu ka. (what is it)

Example:
Ano tatemono wa nan desuka. What is that building over there.
Yubinkyoku desu. It is a post office.
Ano yama wa nan desu ka What is that mountain?
Fujisan desu. Mt. fuji.
Senko wa nan desu ka. What is your major?
Bungaku desu Literature.
Shumi wa nan desu ka. What is your favorite hobby?
Tenisu Tennis.

- Asking which

For asking which, use the question word dore (which one) or dono + noun
(which+noun).
Example:
Toshokan wa dore desu ka. Which one is the library?
Toshokan wa ono tatemono desu ka. Which building is the library?
For people and locations, do not use dore but use dono +noun.

For example
Tanaka - san wa dono hito desu ka. Which person is Mr. Tanaka

ORAL PRACTICE

Practice asking the identity of things and answering it out loud.

Are wa nan desu ka.
Are wa risu desu.
Sore wa nan desu ka.
Kore wa kamera desu.
Kore wa nan desu ka.
Sore wa hon desu.

Topic 4: ASKING WHERE IT IS

Now, let’s learn how to ask about the location of people and things using the
question word DOKO (where) as well as how to answer such question using a variety of
relative location terms.

- THE QUESTION WORD DOKO

The question word means where is doko in Japanese. This word is particularly
useful when you are traveling in Japan. If you are looking for Yubinkyoku (post office), for
example, you can simply ask:
Yubinkyoku wa doko desu ka.

- DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS FOR LOCATION

In some cases, you can answer a question with doko using a demonstrative
pronoun for location, koko (here), soko (there near you), or asoko (over there), as you
point at the location.

EXAMPLE:
Ginko wa doko desu ka. Where is the bank?
Asoko desu. Over there.
Watashi no megane wa doko desu ka. Where are my eyeglasses?
Soko desu. They are there.
Hon wa doko desu ka. Where is the book?
Koko desu. Is right here.
 - TERMS FOR RELATIVE LOCATION

If the answer to a question with where cannot be formed by a simple word like
asoko (over there), you can use some of the relative location words listed in the following
table. Some of them may sound like English prepositions, but they are all nouns.

mae Front
ushiro Behind
chikaku Near
tonari Next to
aida Between (and)
yoko Side
naka Inside
migi Right
hidari Left
ue Above
shita Below
higashi East
nishi West
minami South
kita North

These terms cannot pinpoint any location just by themselves. In order to make
sense, you need to add reference item such as ginko (bank) and tsukue (desk), and
the particle no, right before them.

Example:
Ginko no mae In front of the bank.
Tsukue no migi. To the right of the desk.

Aida requires two reference items conjoined by the particle to.

Example:
Ginko to toshokan no aida Between the bank and the library.

- ORAL PRACTICE:

Practice stating the location of the things out loud.

Yubinkyoku wa ginko no mae desu.
Jisho wa tsukue no ue desu.
Yokohama wa Tokyo no chikaku desu.
Daigaku wa san- ban-dori no kita desu.

- INDICATING THE STARTING POINT AND ENDING POINT WITH THE

PARTICLE KARA AND MADE
 The particle kara (from) and the particle made (up to) specify the starting point and
the ending point, respectively. They can be locations or other notions.

Example:
Uchi kara gakko made From home to school
Tokyo kara Osaka made From Tokyo to Osaka
Kodomo kara otona made From children to adults
Tabemono kara kagu made From foods to furniture

- The question word dochira

In polite context doko is replaced by dochira, which means which way or which
direction, but can also mean where in some context.

Example:
Sanches sensie wa dochira desu ka. Where is Professor Sanches

- If you want to ask someone where he is from or where he came from, you
can say:
Sanches san wa dochira kara desu ka. Miss Sanches where are you from?
Firipin kara desu. I’m from Philippines

Topic 5: Asking When

- Discussion:

"When" is (itsu). It is used to ask about the time or date of an event. The structure
of the sentence typically follows the pattern: subject + (wa) + (itsu)+ [verb] + [(ka)?
To use "itsu" in a question, you place it before the verb or the verb phrase in the sentence.
The subject is marked by the particle "wa", and the sentence typically ends with the
particle "ka" to indicate it's a question.
Using "itsu" is a simple but essential part of asking questions in Japanese. By
incorporating it into your conversations, you can easily inquire about the timing of various
events and activities.

- Usage of "When" (Itsu)

The word "itsu" helps you ask about the timing of an event. It's a versatile word
that can be used in both formal and informal settings.

Example Sentences:
1. When is the party?
Pātī wa itsu desu ka?
2. When are you coming?
 Anata wa itsu kimasu ka?
3. When did you go to Japan?
Anata wa itsu Nihon ni ikimashita ka?
4. When will it start?
Sore wa itsu hajimarimasu ka?

Topic 6: Asking Why

- Discussion:

Using "dōshite" is essential when you need to understand the reasons behind
actions or situations. It helps you get a deeper understanding and gather more detailed
information in conversations.

To use "dōshite" in a question, you place it at the beginning of the sentence. The
sentence then follows the usual subject-particle-verb structure, and you end the sentence
with the particle "ka" to indicate it's a question.

Dōshite (why) + [subject] + [verb] + ka

Example Sentences:
1. Why are you crying?
Dōshite naiteiru no desu ka?
2. Why did you come here?
Dōshite koko ni kita no desu ka?
3. Why is it so expensive?
Dōshite sore wa totemo takai no desu ka?
4. Why do you like sushi?
Dōshite sushi ga suki desu ka?

Asking Which

- Discussion:

Using "dono" is essential when you need to make a choice or distinguish between
multiple items or people. It helps you get more specific information in conversations.

To use "dono" in a question, you place it before the noun you are asking about.
The sentence then follows the usual subject-particle-verb structure, and you end the
sentence with the particle "ka" (か) to indicate it's a question.

Dono (which) + [noun] + [subject] + [verb] + ka

Example
1. Which car is yours?
Dono kuruma ga anata no desu ka?
2. Which book is interesting?
Dono hon ga omoshiroi desu ka?
3. Which one do you like?
Dono hitotsu ga suki desu ka?
4. Which student is the best?
Dono gakusei ga ichiban desu ka?

Asking How much

- Discussion:

Using "ikura" is essential when you need to inquire about the price or amount of
something. It helps you get specific information related to costs and quantities in various
situations.
"How much" is (ikura). It is used to ask about the cost or price of an item.

The word "ikura" helps you ask about the price or quantity of something. It's a
versatile word that can be used in both formal and informal settings. To use "ikura" in a
question, you place it after the subject and before the verb. The subject is marked by the
particle "wa", and the sentence typically ends with the particle "ka” to indicate it's a
question.

[subject] + [ (wa)] + [ (ikura)] + [verb] + [ (ka)]?

Example Sentences:
1. How much is this?
Kore wa ikura desu ka?
2. How much does this book cost?
Kono hon wa ikura desu ka?
3. How much is that bag?
Ano baggu wa ikura desu ka?
4. How much money do you have?
Anata wa ikura okane o motteimasu ka?

Prepared by: Dr. Maribeth Sanches ,BSC, LPT,JD

Reference
Japanese every topic by Maruyama Chiemi
New prime Nihongo By: Masaroni Sigeo
Speak Japanese Revise published by Persian Gulf publication

"Jinsei wa ichido dake no monogatari, jibun de moeru kyarakutā ni narinasai."

"Life is a story you live only once, so become the character that sets your soul on fire."