Monday, August 13, 2018
Why Dont Japanese Questions Have Question Marks
Why Dont Japanese Questions Have Question Marks
Often, questions written in Japanese end in a full stop, not a question mark. But why?
When not to use a question mark
If a question ends in the question marker ka (?), it doesnt need a question mark, because the ka tells us that this is a question:
???????
Ima nanji desu ka.
What time is it?
That doesnt mean you cant use a question mark with ?. People do it. You just dont need to (and you shouldnt in formal writing).
Heres a question with ? and a question mark, from a famous hamburger companys Twitter:
????????????????????????????????
Hambaagaa wa nagai aida houchi shitemo kusaranai to kikimashita. Hontou desu ka?
I heard you can leave a hamburger for a long time and it wont go bad. Is that true?
Adding a question mark after ? here makes ?????? sound a bit more question-y.
When to use a question mark
In questions without ka, question marks are pretty common:
????
Ashita wa?
How about tomorrow?
?????
O-shigoto wa?
Whats your job?
???????
Gakkou ni itta?
You went to school?
Without a question mark, these short written statements wouldnt obviously be questions.
Thats all from me for today. So...any questions?
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