One of the common uses of the particle
か is often translated to ‘or’ in English. While this translation is accurate, it is not actually any different from
か’s regular usage as a question marker.
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それはお母(かあ)さんの靴(くつ)かお父(とう)さんの靴(くつ)。
Are those mom's shoes, or dad's shoes?
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それはお母(かあ)さんの靴(くつ)か。お父(とう)さんの靴(くつ)か。
Are those mom's shoes? Dad's shoes?
From these examples, we can see that, in Japanese,
か is performing the same role that a question mark would, or that a change in tone of voice would in spoken language.
‘Would you like tea? coffee?’ (said with a rising tone)
This nuance of
か can be used after the dictionary form of almost any word in Japanese. However, using
です or ます will change the nuance from ‘presenting possibilities’, to ‘asking a formal question’, so should be avoided.
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今日(きょう)か明日(あした)休(やす)むか。
Today or tomorrow, when will I take a break? (The speaker is thinking this to themselves)
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今日(きょう)か明日(あした)は休(やす)みますか。
Will you take a break today or tomorrow? (The speaker is asking another person)