Sentence final particles “ka” “ne”
“yo”
They come at the end of sentences.
"Ka " (↑ rising intonation) at the end of sentence is a question maker.
E.g. Tanaka-san desu ka. ↑ Are you Tanaka-san?
The question marks are not used in regular
Japanese writings. They are used in casual notes to friends and families .
I sometimes use it in the sentences in the textbook to show that it is a question to show the rising intonation.
"Ne" (↑ rising intonation) at the end of sentence is a confirmation
seeker
E.g. Tanaka-san desu ne. ↑ You are Tanaka-san, right?
"Yo" at the end of sentence is a assertion to emphasis the statement. (Be careful.
This can be
offensive in some cases such as correcting other's mistakes. In this case, the sentence
particle よ can be used to hint
the offensiveness of other's comment or question. Tone of voice indicates
how badly the person was offended. For example:
E.g. A: Tanaka-san desu ka. ↑
Are
you Mr. Tanaka? B: Iie, chigaimasu yo。(normal tone of voice) It can simply
mean, "No, you are mistaken." or (strong tone of voice) No, it is wrong (Do I look like Mr.
Tanaka?).
E.g. A: Kore ii desu ka ↑ Is this correct? B: Iie, chigaimasu yo。(normal tone of voice) It can simply mean, "No, you are mistaken." or (strong tone of voice) No, it is wrong! (You are not that smart, aren't you?).
"Ka" (↓ falling intonation) at the end of sentence is used to
indicate that a listener got a new information.
E.g. A: tanaka-san desu。It (s/he) is Tanaka-san. B:
(A、)soo desu ka。 (↓ falling intonation) (Oh) I see. I got it.
"Ne" ( ↓ falling intonation) at the end of sentence is used for
empathy to synchronize the feeling (empathy). Female speakers often extend the last
vowel while many male speakers make it short.
E.g. A:Ii otenki desu ne。↓ B:Soo
desu ne。↓ A:I
(Hai,) soo desu.
(It is) correct (agreement to a yes/no question).
Soo desu ka. (↑
rising
intonation)
(Is it) correct? (Questioning, doubting, not quite agreeing)
Soo desu ne. (↑
rising intonation)
(It is) correct, right? (Confirming)
Soo desu ne.(↓falling intonation) (It is) correct. (Agreement
to a statement)
Soo deu yo.(↓falling intonation)
(It is) correct, I assure you, for sure, certainly.
Examples:
You and your friend are visiting a beach town for vacation, and you think it is
a pretty place. You are telling your friend:
You: Kiree desu ne. ↓ Friend:
Soo desu ne. ↓ You: It is pretty. Friend: Indeed.
You and your friend are visiting a beach town for vacation,
and you think it is a pretty place but your friend do not seem to think so.
You: Kiree desu ne. ↓ Friend:
Soo desu ka (↑ rising
intonation) You: It is pretty. Friend: Really?
(You think so?)
You are calling a your housemate back in your residence to
inform how is the place you are visiting.
You: Kiree desu yo. Housemate: Soo desu ka (↓
falling intonation)。 You: It is pretty (I assure you.).
Housemate: I see.