How to Say ‘(polite question ending)’ in Japanese
ですか
desu ka
[deh-soo kah]
💬 Usage Tip: Add [ですか] to make a polite question: [どこ] → [どこですか].
🇯🇵 In Japan: Polite endings like [ですか] are appreciated with strangers, especially when asking for help.
Phrase Breakdown
です
desu
[deh-soo]
is; polite copula
です makes a sentence polite and neutral. With a place + は + noun, it states/asks what something is or where it is.
ここは地下鉄の駅です。
This is the subway station.
か
ka
[kah]
(question marker)
か turns a statement into a question in polite Japanese. Common in direction questions like どこですか.
地下鉄の駅はどこですか。
Where is the subway station?
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