Questions & Interjections

Introduction

Advanced questioning goes beyond information-seeking to include rhetorical questions, expressions of wonder, and emphatic exclamations. These patterns add emotional depth to your Japanese.

They're particularly common in literature, speeches, and expressive conversation.

Themes

All Japanese Grammar Advanced in This Chapter (14)

1. か否か かいなか A conjunctive phrase meaning 'whether or not,' used when the speaker or writer deliberates about or questions whether something is the ca...
2. かな (exclamatory) かな A sentence-final particle expressing deep-felt emotion such as wonder, longing, admiration, or sorrow. It is a classical exclamatory part...
3. っけ っけ A colloquial sentence-final particle used when the speaker is trying to recall or confirm something they once knew. It conveys a sense of...
4. やら (self-addressed question) やら A sentence-final particle that marks a self-addressed question or expression of uncertainty. The speaker wonders about something without ...
5. そもそも（の） そもそも An adverb meaning 'in the first place' or 'to begin with,' used when the speaker questions or comments on the fundamental premise of a si...
6. 思うに おもうに A phrase meaning 'in my opinion' or 'I believe that,' used to preface a statement as the speaker's personal view or conjecture. It signal...
7. 思えば おもえば An adverbial phrase meaning 'when I think back' or 'come to think of it,' used to introduce recollections accompanied by feelings of nost...
8. 見るからに みるからに A phrase meaning 'obviously' or 'clearly just by looking,' indicating that something can be immediately recognized through visual observa...
9. いくら いくら A Wh-word that asks about the amount, price, or degree of something. As an interrogative, it means 'how much.' It also functions in conce...
10. だって (reason) だって A conjunction used at the beginning of a sentence to indicate a reason or justification for something previously mentioned. It translates...
11. だって (even) だって A particle meaning 'even' or 'too,' attached to nouns or pronouns to emphasize that something applies to the indicated person or thing as...
12. だの だの A conjunction used to list nouns or quoted statements inexhaustively, similar to 'such things as' or 'and... and...' It often carries a d...
13. 由・よし よし A dependent noun meaning 'it is reported that' or 'I have learned that,' used to mark the content of information the writer has received ...
14. 願う・願います ねがう・ねがいます A verb meaning 'to wish' or 'to request,' used to make polite requests or express earnest wishes. In its polite forms, it functions as a ...