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How to Say ‘Is it?’ in Japanese

ですか

desu ka

[dess kah]

💬 Usage Tip: [ですか] makes a polite question. It's one of the easiest and most useful endings for beginners.

🇯🇵 In Japan: Even a very short question with [ですか] sounds polite enough in most everyday service situations.

Phrase Breakdown

です

desu

[dess]

is

Polite copula used in a question.

Example

いくらぐらいですか、と聞きます。

You ask, “About how much is it?”

ka

[kah]

question marker

Turns the polite statement into a question.

Example

いくらぐらいですか、と質問します。

You ask the question, “About how much is it?”

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