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Lesson 3: Nounですか
In this lesson, I will teach you how to ask questions in Japanese.
Patterns:
Notes:
①か is a particle，it’s used to ask a question.
②In Japanese questions, [。] is more often used than [？], but both are okay.
| Pattern | Meaning |
| [Noun] + ですか。 | Are you…? Is it…? |
| [Noun 1] + は + [Noun 2] + ですか。 | Are you a…? Is it a…? |
| [Noun] + ではありませんか。 | Are you…? Is it not…? |
| [Noun 1] + は + [Noun 2] + ではありませんか。 | Are you not a…? Is it not a…? |
Text:
田中さんは大学生ですか。
Is Mr. Tanaka a university student?
Tanaka-san wa daigakusei desu ka.
はい、大学生です。
Yes, he is a university student.
Hai, daigakusei desu.
トムは学生ではありませんか。
Tom isn’t a student, right?
Tomu wa gakusei dewa arimasen ka.
いいえ、学生です。
No, he is a student.
Iie, gakusei desu.
More Information:
| ① In English, the Yes or No is based on the truth. But in Japanese, the はい or いいえ is based on the question form（Positive or Negative）. はい is used when the answer matches the question. いいえ is used when the answer does not match the question. For example: Q: トムは学生ですか。 (Tom is a student, right?) A: はい → “Yes, he is a student.” A: いいえ → “No, he isn’t a student.” The question is 【he is a student？】，so if Tom is a student, it matches the question, you should use はい. If Tom is not a student, it doesn’t match the question, you should use いいえ. Q: トムは学生ではありませんか。 (Tom isn’t a student, right?) A: はい → “No, he isn’t a student.” A: いいえ → “Yes, he is a student.” The question is 【he is not a student？】，so if Tom is not a student, it matches the question, you should use はい. If Tom is a student, it doesn’t match the question, you should use いいえ. ② Besides 【ではありませんか】（Very formal）, you can use the following forms too: （1）ではないですか：Polite but more conversational （2）ではないか：Slightly formal, often written or literary style （3）じゃないですか：Casual, everyday speech （4）じゃないか：Casual, often male speech ③When the pattern Noun + ですか refers to a person or thing that the other speaker has already mentioned, it often functions as a confirmation rather than a completely new question. In this case, it can often be translated as “Do you mean + Noun?” or simply “Noun?” in natural English. Examples 映画ですか。 → Do you mean a movie? → A movie? 明日ですか。 → Do you mean tomorrow? → Tomorrow? However, the grammar itself is exactly the same. The difference is only in the speaker’s intention: Sometimes it is used to ask for new information. 学生ですか。 → Are you a student? Sometimes it is used to confirm information that was just mentioned. 映画ですか。 → Do you mean a movie? ④You can use これは なんですか to say “What is this?”. There is also an anime clip below that uses this sentence. |
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13 thoughts on “Lesson 3: Nounですか”
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はい is used when the question asked matches the answer.
I’m confused about this example:
トムは学生がくせいではありませんか。
Isn’t Tom a student?
はい、学生がくせいではありません。
No, He is not a student.
I don’t understand how the question maches the answer in this case? Could you in more detail, please?
Maybe the question in this case should be something like “Tom isn’t a student, right?” or “Tom is not a student, isn’t he?”
Yeah, I changed it based on your suggestion, In English, the Yes or No is based on the truth, But in Japanese, the はい or いいえ is based on the question form（Positive or Negative）
I found this on the internet
Japanese does not have words for yes and no. The words “はい” (hai) and “いいえ” (iie) are mistaken by English speakers for equivalents to yes and no, but they actually signify agreement or disagreement with the proposition put by the question – i.e. “That’s correct.” or “That’s incorrect.” In answer to positively phrased questions, therefore, they map directly to yes and no. But in answer to negatively phrased questions the mapping is reversed.
What do you think? Is it correct?
It’s correct!
when do japanese put “?” in their sentences?
Man those negative sentences really hurt my brain
This comment by deception really helped me understand:
“Japanese does not have words for yes and no. The words “はい” (hai) and “いいえ” (iie) are mistaken by English speakers for equivalents to yes and no, but they actually signify agreement or disagreement with the proposition put by the question – i.e. “That’s correct.” or “That’s incorrect.” In answer to positively phrased questions, therefore, they map directly to yes and no. But in answer to negatively phrased questions the mapping is reversed.”
I’m trying to compare it with an example sentence in English, but what’s tripping me up is the opposite part, since a negative sentence can be answered like this in English:
Are you happy?
Yes (I am happy)
No (I am not happy)
Aren’t you happy?
Yes (I am happy)
No (I am not happy)
According to that lesson in Japanese would be the opposite for the negative question, like this:
嬉しいですか
はい (嬉しいです)
いいえ (嬉しいではありません)
嬉しいではありませんか
はい (嬉しいではありません)
いええ (嬉しいです)
Are you happy?
Yes (I am happy)
No (I am not happy)
Aren’t you happy?
Yes (I am not happy)
No (I am happy)
To reply to Penguiniey:
I think it’s best to not use English contractions for these questions since English is notorious for taking seemingly opposite meanings for things as you’ve pointed out.
Thinking of it like
Are you happy? (Yes = happy /No = not happy)
vs.
Are you not happy? (Yes = NOT happy / No = happy)
instead of “aren’t you happy?” makes it make a lot more sense for me.
Hello! I’d like to know why the answer to the question has the “。” aswell?
both “。” and “?” are okay if you want to ask questions in Japanese
So, to make things easier, it would be better of to remember both “はい” and “いいえ” as “I agree” and “I disagree” respectively right?
Yes!