Japanese Grammar In Its Natural Habitat

かい

かい Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Particle

Essential Meaning: Yes-No question marker in informal male speech

Construction: 

  • (Verb / い-Adjective) informal + かい
    • E.g. 話はなすかい [Does X speak?]
    • E.g. 食たべるかい [Does X eat?]
    • E.g. 高たかいかい [Is X expensive?]
  • (Verb / い-Adjective) informal + のかい
    • E.g 話はなすのかい [Does X speak?]
    • E.g. 食たべるのかい [Does X eat?]
    • E.g. 高たかいのかい [Is X expensive?]
  • (な-Adjective Stem / Noun) + [X / だった] + かい
    • E.g. 静しずかかい [Is X quiet?]
    • E.g. 先生せんせいかい [Is X a teacher?]
  • (な-Adjective Stem / Noun) + [な / だった] + のかい
    • E.g. 静しずかなのかい [Is X quiet?]
    • E.g. 先生せんせいなのかい [Is X a teacher?]

Notes:

  • かい is a sentence-ending particle that marks yes-no questions in informal male speech. だい is the equivalent particle for WH-Questions (e.g. “Who?“, “What?“, “When?“, etc.) in informal male speech. Due to the informal nature of かい, the sentence that it follows must be in an informal form.
    • E.g. *日本語にほんごは面白おもしろいですかい。[Is Japanese interesting?] This sentence is self-contradictory due to the formal copula ending and the informal particle かい。
    • E.g. 日本語にほんごは面白おもしろいかい。[Is Japanese interesting?] This sentence is OK because the adjective is informal.
    • E.g. *上野うえのさんはアメリカへ行いきますのかい。[Is Ueno-san going to America?] This sentence is improper for the same reason as above.
    • E.g. 上野うえのさんはアメリカへ行いくのかい。[Is Ueno-san going to America?] This sentence is OK because the verb is informal.
    • E.g. *どこへ行いくかい。[Where are you going?] This sentence is improper because かい cannot be paired with a ”Where” question.
    • E.g. どこへ行いくだい。[Where are you going?] だい is appropriate with WH-Questions.
    • E.g. *あの人ひとはだれなのかい。[Who is that person?] This sentence is improper because かい cannot be paired with a ”Who” question.
    • E.g. あの人ひとはだれなのだい。[Who is that person?] だい is appropriate with WH-Questions.
  • Informal questions that end with かい and のかい / なのかい correspond to formal questions that end with ですか and のですか, respectively.
    • E.g. Formal: 日本語にほんごは面白おもしろいですか。[Is Japanese interesting?]
    • E.g. Informal: 日本語にほんごは面白おもしろいかい。[Is Japanese interesting?]
    • E.g. Formal: 日本語にほんごは面白おもしろいのですか。[Is Japanese interesting?]
    • E.g. Informal: 日本語にほんごは面白おもしろいのかい。[Is Japanese interesting?]
  • Feminine informal questions can be created simply by dropping かい and and using rising inflection to indicate that the sentence is a question.
    • E.g. 日本語にほんごは面白おもしろい？ [Is Japanese interesting?]
    • E.g. 上野うえのさんはアメリカへ行いくの? [Is Ueno-san going to America?]
    • E.g. あの人ひとは先生せんせいなの? [Is that person a teacher?]
  • For further info on the topic of informal question markers, please refer to the pages on のだ and だい.

Example Sentences:

日本語にほんごは面白おもしろいかい。[Is Japanese interesting?]

上野うえのさんはアメリカへ行いくのかい。[Is Ueno-san going to America?]

日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうするかい。[Do you study Japanese?]

このアパートは静しずかかい。[Is this apartment quiet?]

君きみたちは学生がくせいかい。[Are you all students?]

その本ほんは難むずかしいのかい。[Is that book difficult?]

あの人ひとは先生せんせいなのかい。[Is that person a teacher?]

WILD Examples:

At 1:47, listen for this line: 気きづいたかい？この世よの無常むじょうに [Have you noticed it? The transience of this life?]
This song begins with the following line: やっと目めを覚さましたかい？[Did you finally open your eyes?]
Listen to this dialogue from 0:42: Belle: 借かりた本ほんお返かえしします。Clerk: もう読よんだのかい？ [Belle: I’m returning the book I borrowed: Claerk: You already finished reading it?]
This song begins as follows: おーい、おーい、カバ君くん 、君きみの背中せなか硬かたいのかい？ それとも本当ほんとうは柔やらかいのかい？[Hey, Hey, Mr. Hippo. Is your back hard. Or is it actually soft?]

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