Introduction to Japanese Questions

Welcome to your complete revision guide for asking questions in Pearson Edexcel GCSE Japanese (1JA0). Asking questions is one of the most vital skills you will need across all four exam papers: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.

In fact, in Paper 2 (Speaking), you will often see a question mark prompt in your role play where you are specifically required to ask the examiner a question. Mastering these patterns guarantees you secure easy, high-value marks!

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first. Japanese question grammar is actually very logical and regular. Let's break it down step by step.

1. The Magic Question Particle: か (ka)

In English, when we turn a sentence into a question, we change the word order (e.g., "You are a student" becomes "Are you a student?"). In Japanese, it is much simpler!

To make a question in Japanese, you simply keep the normal sentence order and add the particle か (ka) to the very end of the sentence, usually right after polite forms like です (desu) or ます (masu).

Basic Formula

[Statement] + か。

Examples:

• Statement: たなかさんは 日本人です。
Tanaka-san is Japanese.
• Question: たなかさんは 日本人ですか。
Is Tanaka-san Japanese?

• Statement: すしを 食べます。
I eat sushi.
• Question: すしを 食べますか。
Do you eat sushi? / Will you eat sushi?

Punctuation Tip for GCSE Writing:

In standard Japanese writing examined at GCSE, a question ending with か normally ends with a Japanese full stop (句点 。). While you might see question marks (？) in casual dialogues or manga, writing か。 is standard for your formal writing tasks.

Key Takeaway: Add か to the end of any polite sentence to turn it into a question. No changing word order needed!

2. Prescribed GCSE Question Words (疑問詞)

To ask specific questions, you need question words. Here is the full list prescribed in the Edexcel GCSE specification that you must recognise and use:

People and Things

• 何 (なに / なん - nani / nan): What
• だれ (dare): Who
• どなた (donata): Who (polite / honorific form of だれ)

Time and Reason

• いつ (itsu): When
• どうして (dōshite): Why

Location and Directions

• どこ (doko): Where
• どちら (dochira): Where (polite) / Which way / Which one (of two choices)

Manner and Description

• どう (dō): How / In what way
• いかが (ikaga): How (polite equivalent of どう, e.g. いかがですか - "How is it?")
• どうやって (dōyatte): How / By what means (e.g., "How do you get to school?")
• どんな (donna): What kind of (+ noun, e.g. どんな スポーツ - "What kind of sports?")

Choices, Quantity, and Price

• どれ (dore): Which one (out of three or more)
• どの (dono): Which (+ noun, e.g. どの 本 - "Which book?")
• いくつ (ikutsu): How many (general items) / How old
• いくら (ikura): How much (price)
• どのくらい / どのぐらい (dono kurai / dono gurai): How long / How much (duration, degree, or approximate quantity)

Questions with Counters (何 + Counter)

When asking "how many" for specific categories, attach 何 (なん - nan) directly in front of the counter suffix:

• 何時 (なんじ - nan-ji): What time
• 何人 (なんにん - nan-nin): How many people
• 何週間 (なんしゅうかん - nan-shūkan): How many weeks
• 何名様 (なんめいさま - nan-mei-sama): How many guests (polite restaurant setting)

Pronunciation Rule: When is 何 read as "nan" vs "nani"?

A classic student puzzle! Here is the easy rule to remember:

1. Read as なん (nan) when placed before sounds starting with d, t, n (e.g., 何ですか - nan desu ka, 何年生 - nan-nensei) and before counters (何時 - nan-ji, 何人 - nan-nin).
2. Read as なに (nani) when followed by particles like を (o), が (ga), か (ka), or standing alone (e.g., 何を しますか - nani o shimasu ka, 何か - nanika).

Key Takeaway: Question words slot directly into the sentence where the answer would normally go.

3. Or-Questions (Alternative Questions)

When you want to ask someone to choose between two options (e.g., "Will you go by bus, or will you go by taxi?"), Japanese does not use a standalone word for "or" between sentences.

Instead, you repeat the question structure using か at the end of each option.

Formula

[Option A + です/ます + か]、[Option B + です/ます + か。]

Edexcel Specification Example:

• バスで行きますか、タクシーで行きますか。
(Basu de ikimasu ka, takushī de ikimasu ka.)
Will you go by bus, or will you go by taxi?

Another Example:

• お茶を飲みますか、コーヒーを飲みますか。
Will you drink tea, or will you drink coffee?

Key Takeaway: To ask "A or B?", simply say "A-ka, B-ka."

4. Question Word Compounds: か, も, and でも

By combining basic question words with the particles か, も, and でも, you create words like "something", "nothing", and "anything". This is a high-yield grammar point tested across Foundation and Higher tiers.

A. Question Word + か = Indefinite Pronouns ("Some-")

Adding か creates words referring to an unspecified thing, person, place, or time.

• 何か (nanika): Something
• だれか (dareka): Someone / Somebody
• どこか (dokoka): Somewhere
• いつか (itsuka): Sometime / Someday

Example from Edexcel Specification:
• 何か飲みませんか。 (Nanika nomimasen ka.)
Won't you drink something? / Would you like something to drink?

Note on Particles: Particles like を and が are often omitted after 何か and だれか (e.g., 何か（を）食べます - "I will eat something").

B. Question Word + も + Negative Verb = Total Negation ("None / Not any-")

Adding も followed by a negative verb (ending in 〜ません or 〜ない) means complete absence or negation.

• 何も + Negative (nani mo): Nothing / Not anything
• だれも + Negative (dare mo): Nobody / No one
• どこ（へ/に）も + Negative (doko [e/ni] mo): Nowhere / Not anywhere

Special Time Note: いつも (itsumo) means "always" in affirmative sentences, and "not always / never" depending on context when paired with a negative verb.

Example from Edexcel Specification:
• 何もたべませんでした。 (Nani mo tabemasen deshita.)
I ate nothing. / I didn't eat anything.

Another Example:
• 日曜日、どこへも行きませんでした。
On Sunday, I didn't go anywhere.

C. Question Word + でも = Universal / Free Choice ("Any-")

Adding でも creates open choices meaning it does not matter which, who, where, or when.

• 何でも (nandemo): Anything / Whatever
• だれでも (daredemo): Anyone / Anybody / Whoever
• どこでも (dokodemo): Anywhere / Everywhere
• いつでも (itsudemo): Anytime / Whenever

Example from Edexcel Specification:
• どこでも行きます。 (Dokodemo ikimasu.)
I will go anywhere.

Another Example:
• 何でも食べます。
I eat anything. / I will eat whatever.

Quick Summary Comparison Table

Look at how the meaning transforms with the word 何 (What):

• 何ですか。 = What is it? (Question)
• 何か食べます。 = I will eat something. (Indefinite: +か)
• 何も食べません。 = I will eat nothing. (Total Negation: +も + Negative verb)
• 何でも食べます。 = I will eat anything. (Open Choice: +でも)

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid in the GCSE Exam

1. Freezing on Role-Play Questions in Paper 2 (Speaking):
When your role-play card shows a bullet point with a ?, the examiner is waiting for you to ask a question! Don't just state a fact. Use a question word and always finish your sentence with か (e.g., いくらですか or 何時ですか).

2. Mixing up 何も (Nothing) and 何か (Something):
• 何も食べませんか is incorrect if you are trying to offer food.
• To invite someone to eat, say: 何か食べませんか (Won't you eat something?).
• Remember: も goes with negative statements of fact (何も食べません - I eat nothing).

3. Writing in Romaji:
Pearson Edexcel mark schemes strictly state that work written in romaji will not be credited. Always write your question words in Hiragana (e.g., どこ, だれ, いつ) or prescribed Kanji (e.g., 何, 何人, 何時).

Check Your Understanding

Can you translate these Edexcel GCSE style sentences?

1. What time does the train go? (Hint: 何時 + 電車 + 行きますか)
2. Will you drink water, or will you drink juice? (Hint: お水 + ジュース)
3. Yesterday, I went nowhere. (Hint: きのう + どこ（へ）も + 行きませんでした)
4. Anyone can do it. (Hint: だれでも + できます)