N1はN2ですか (question with か particle)

The particle か is placed at the end of a sentence to turn a statement into a yes/no question.

➡ Basic structure:

N1はN2ですか
“Is N1 N2?”

You take the affirmative form N1はN2です and add か at the end.

• Important note: In Japanese, question marks (“?”) are not mandatory, but in modern writing, they are often used, especially in less formal texts.

🔎 Possible answers

• はい、そうです。 → Yes, that’s right.

• いいえ、ちがいます。 → No, that’s wrong / No, it isn’t.

⚠️ Things to note

• か makes the question formal or neutral.
  In casual speech, か is often dropped, and the rising intonation indicates it’s a question.

  • Example: 「学生？」 instead of 「学生ですか。」

• Be careful: in formal contexts, don’t use ? without か.
  「学生です？」 → ❌ not appropriate in formal situations.