JLPT N5 grammar · The Absolute Basics

~ですか: meaning, usage and examples

~ですか means: (indicates question: sentence end).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

How to form it

＜Statement＞ + か (sentence-final question marker)

Examples

あなたは先生せんせいですか。
Are you a teacher?
Nuance note
People rarely say あなた to someone’s face; it can sound distant or even rude. Use the person’s name with さん, or leave the subject out.
田中たなかさんは先生せんせいですか。
Mr. Tanaka, are you a teacher?
それはあなたの傘かさですか。
Is that your umbrella?
Nuance note
Avoid あなた here too: use the person’s name. In casual questions the は after それ is often dropped as well.
それ、田中たなかさんの傘かさですか。
Is that your umbrella, Mr. Tanaka?
駅えきはここから近ちかいですか。
Is the station close to here?
明日あしたは休やすみですか。
Is tomorrow a day off?

When to use it

Adding か to any statement turns it into a yes/no question. No word-order change needed: just append か.

Nuance

In casual speech, か is often dropped and replaced by rising intonation. On the JLPT, か is always present in formal questions.

Compare

ですか asks about identity/state. か after a verb stem asks about action.

Tip: Never use a question mark (？) in formal written Japanese: か alone suffices.

More in The Absolute Basics

~です: to be/ it is (polite)
~じゃありません: to not be / it is not (polite)
はい/いいえ: yes/no
そうです: (answer) it is/that's right
こ/そ/あ/ど (demonstrative prefixes): こ: Something near to the speaker; そ: Something near to the listener; あ: Something far away from both speaker and listener; ど: Something the speaker doesn't see or know about.
これ/それ/あれ/どれ: This, that, that one over there, which
この/その/あの/どの [Noun]: this/that/that (over there)/which [Noun]
ここ/そこ/あそこ/どこ: Here, there, over there, where

Frequently asked questions

What does ~ですか mean?

(indicates question: sentence end). Example: あなたは先生せんせいですか。 (Are you a teacher?)

How do you form ~ですか?

＜Statement＞ + か (sentence-final question marker). Never use a question mark (？) in formal written Japanese: か alone suffices.