How to Say ‘(question; explanatory tone)’ in Japanese
のですか
no desu ka
[noh dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: [のですか] adds an explaining or reason-seeking tone, so it sounds more like "what's the reason?" than a flat question. Compare [応募しましたか] "Did you apply?" with [応募したのですか] "Why/what's behind your applying?"
Phrase Breakdown
の
no
[noh]
explanatory nominalizer
の adds an explanatory tone (“the reason is…”). In questions, it asks for explanation/background.
なぜ応募したのですか。
Why did you apply? (asking for your reasons)
です
desu
[dess]
polite copula ‘is/are’
Polite form of だ. In のです, it makes the explanation polite and formal.
応募したのです。
I applied (that’s the situation/reason).
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
か turns the sentence into a question (polite).
なぜこの会社に応募したのですか。
Why did you apply to this company?
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