Grammar Info

N1 Lesson 5: 1/17

か否(いな)かWhether or not

や否や is used to express "as soon as"

Structure

Verb + か否(いな)か
［い］Adjective + か否(いな)か
［な］Adjective + （である）+ か否(いな)か
Noun + （である）+ か否(いな)か

Details

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    Formal

About か否か

否(いな) 'no' is an interjection in Japanese that is primarily paired with the adverbial particle か 'or' when stating 'whether or not (A)'. The literal meaning is just '(A) or no'. This is a very formal expression that will mainly be seen in writing.

か否(いな)か may appear after almost any word in their standard forms.

This structure is often paired with words like べき 'ought to', を問(と)わず 'without questioning', にかかわらず 'regardless of', and will be used to make determinations about the suitability of something based on a specific situation.

Synonyms

Examples

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    自分(じぶん)の人生(じんせい)に満足(まんぞく)できるか否(いな)か、それはあなたの頑張(がんば)り次第(しだい)である。

    Whether you are satisfied or not with your own life is a result of your effort.

    今(いま)の会社(かいしゃ)を辞(や)めて転職(てんしょく)するか否(いな)か、もう少(すこ)し悩(なや)む事(こと)にしよう。

    Whether I will resign from my current company and get a new job or not, I'll ponder on it a bit more.

    イベントのサイト：「参加資格(さんかしかく)： 登録(とうろく)ユーザーであるか否(いな)かを問(と)わず、どなたでもご参加可能(さんかかのう)」

    Event website: 'Entry qualifications: Regardless of whether you are a registered user or not, anyone can participate.'

    記事(きじ)のタイトル：「プロゲーマーは真(しん)のスポーツ選手(せんしゅ)か否(いな)か。ｅ(イー)スポーツ業界(ぎょうかい)が直面(ちょくめん)するビザの問題(もんだい)」

    Article title: 'Are pro gamers real athletes or not? The visa problem that eSports faces.' (whether or not)

    サイト、クッキーファイルについて：「利用者(りようしゃ)はそのクッキーを受(う)け入(い)れるか否(いな)かを決(き)めることができますし、また、全部(ぜんぶ)のクッキーを削除(さくじょ)することもできます。」

    Website, about cookie files: 'Users can decide whether or not they accept cookies. Users are also able to delete all accepted cookies anytime.'

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