Question Word + か

Embedded Question Word

Level 2Sounds Like gimonshi + ka

Use 疑問詞 (Interrogative) + か to turn a question into a piece of information inside another sentence. For example, instead of asking 'Where is it?', you say 'I don't know where it is.'

How It Works

The 疑問詞（ぎもんし） + か pattern is essential for creating complex sentences in Japanese. It functions by taking a question and embedding it as a clause that acts like a noun.

1. Formation Rules:
The clause before か must be in the Plain Form (Short Form).

  • Verbs: Plain form (e.g., 行くか、行ったか).
  • い-Adjectives: Plain form (e.g., 寒いか、寒かったか).
  • な-Adjectives and Nouns: Drop だ in the present affirmative (e.g., 誰か). Keep だった for the past.

2. WH-Questions vs. Yes/No Questions:
This specific pattern is used when the embedded clause contains a question word (interrogative) like 何 (what), 誰 (who), or どこ (where). For WH-questions, a single か is the strict standard. If the question is a Yes/No question (e.g., "I don't know if he is coming"), the かどうか pattern is overwhelmingly preferred to avoid ambiguity. Alternatively, you can repeat the verb in its negative form (e.g., 行くか行かないか - whether to go or not). Warning: For Yes/No questions with nouns or な-adjectives, do not use だ before かどうか (e.g., use 学生かどうか, not 学生だかどうか).

3. Indefinite Pronouns vs. Embedded Questions:
Note that while an interrogative + か can form indefinite pronouns like 何か（なにか - something） or 誰か（だれか - someone）, in this grammar pattern, it serves to embed a full question (e.g., "what it is" or "who it is") into a larger sentence. Context and particles help distinguish them.

4. Key Usage Points:

  • Subject Marker: Inside the embedded clause, the subject is marked with が, even if it would normally be は in a standalone sentence.
  • Internal Particles: Particles attached to question words must stay inside the embedded clause (e.g., 誰と行くか教えてください - Please tell me who you are going with).
  • Common Main Verbs: This pattern is typically followed by verbs related to knowledge, thinking, or deciding, such as 分かる（わかる）、知る（しる）、決める（きめる）、覚えている（おぼえている）、教える（おしえる）、or 考える（かんがえる）.
  • Politeness: The politeness of the entire sentence is determined by the final verb (e.g., 分かりません), not the embedded clause.
  • Noun Clause & Particles: Because the embedded clause acts as a noun, it can take case particles like が, を, or に depending on the main verb. However, in everyday speech, the object particle を is frequently dropped.

Examples (6)

  1. どのバッグが<grammar expression="い-adjective">いい</grammar>か教えてください。

    Please tell me which bag is good.

    Word by Word: Which bag (subject) good (embedded question) teach please.

    This example shows an い-adjective (いい) used in the plain form before か.

  2. 犯人が<grammar expression="誰">誰</grammar>か分かりました。

    I found out who the criminal is.

    Word by Word: Criminal (subject) who (embedded question) understood.

    When using a noun like 誰 (who) in the present tense, the copula だ is omitted before か.

  3. どこに住んでいるか教えてください。

    Please tell me where you live.

    Word by Word: Where in living (embedded question) teach please.

    The question 'Where do you live?' is embedded using the plain form 住んでいる followed by か.

  4. 会議がいつ始まるか分かりません。

    I don't know when the meeting starts.

    Word by Word: Meeting (subject) when starts (embedded question) know-not.

    Note that the meeting (会議) is marked with が because it is the subject inside the embedded clause.

  5. 誰が来たか覚えていますか。

    Do you remember who came?

    Word by Word: Who (subject) came (embedded question) remembering are-you?

    The past tense plain form 来た is used before か to embed the question 'Who came?'.

  6. 何が一番大切か考えてください。

    Please think about what is most important.

    Word by Word: What (subject) number-one important (embedded question) think please.

    For な-adjectives like 大切, the だ is omitted before か in the present tense.

Common Mistakes

  • Using polite forms (ます/です) inside the embedded clause.

    いつ行きますか分かりません。
    いつ行くか分かりません。

    The clause before か must be in the plain form, even if the end of the sentence is polite.

  • Using かどうか when a question word is present.

    どこに行くかどうか分かりません。
    どこに行くか分かりません。

    かどうか is only for Yes/No questions. If you have a question word like どこ (where), you only use か.

  • Keeping だ before か or かどうか with nouns or な-adjectives.

    誰だか分かりません。
    誰か分かりません。

    When embedding a question with a noun or な-adjective, you must drop だ in the present affirmative. This rule applies to both WH-questions (using just か) and Yes/No questions (using かどうか).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Question Word + かLevel 2Embedded Question Word

Learn This First

To understand '疑問詞 + か' (Embedded question words), a learner needs to know basic Japanese question words (interrogatives) and how the particle 'か' functions as a question marker. Additionally, since these questions are embedded within a larger sentence, familiarity with how clauses are treated as units (similar to noun modification) is essential.

Words in This Pattern