Structure
Verb + の(1)（だ）
［い］Adjective + の(1)（だ）
Noun + な + の(1)（だ）
［な］Adjective + な + の(1)（だ）
(1)ん
Details
Standard
About の (Questions)
Directly related to the explanatory/contextual use of の is the use for asking questions. Adding の to a question will make it feel as though more context or reasoning is being asked for. There is likely to be an observation behind the question.
の will directly follow verbs and い-Adjectives, and is attached to nouns and な-Adjectives with な.
The same as the regular explanatory/contextual use, の may also be shortened to ん. This is especially common in the spoken language.
Caution
Some resources teach の as a generic 'casual question marker', but this is misleading.
A standard casual question simply uses the dictionary form with a rising intonation. Adding の adds specific explanatory nuance. If の is used in every question, it may sound overly inquisitive or demanding of reasons.
の (or ん) can also be used with the polite auxiliary verb です and the question marking particle か, from which it can clearly be seen that it is adding extra nuance, not acting as a 'casual question marker'.
Vocab Coverage
All Bunpro Vocab that appears on this item.
Examples
--:--
走るの？
Are you going to run? (Contextual/Explanatory question)
外は暑いの？
Is it hot outside? (Contextual/Explanatory question)
この人が怖いの？
Are you scared of this person? (Contextual/Explanatory question)
海で泳がないの？
Aren't you going to swim in the ocean? (Contextual/Explanatory question)
あの橋を渡るの？
Are you going to cross that bridge? (Contextual/Explanatory question)
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の (Questions) – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (2 in total)
rell34
“私のお母さんとさつきちゃんのお母さ ともだち んは友達なんですか” Wouldn’t なの also work for this sentence, instead of just なん?
losge
Hi, despite the fact that ん can be used instead of の, from what I understand from the example phrases, ん always requires ですか (or I’m guessing だか) after it - I mean contrary to の that can be used to end the question phrase. Is this true or can you also end a phrase with ん? It would be great if you could add an explanation regarding this, and maybe some relevant example phrases for ん used with the casual form (んだか - or simply んだ(?)). Thank you!