か details

write + embedded question — who/what/where inside a sentence

kaku ka

embedded question — who/what/where inside a sentence

会議かいぎがいつ終おわるか、誰だれも知しりません。

kaigi ga itsu owaru ka, dare mo shirimasen.

Nobody knows when the meeting will end. neutral

どこでかぎをなくしたか、全然ぜんぜん思おもい出だせない。

doko de kagi o nakushita ka, zenzen omoidasenai.

I can't remember at all where I lost my keys. casual

Examples

embeds a question-word question inside a larger sentence — the clause stays plain, and the main verb (知る・分かる・決める…) acts on it

会議かいぎがいつ終おわるか、誰だれも知しりません。

kaigi ga itsu owaru ka, dare mo shirimasen.

Nobody knows when the meeting will end. neutral

どこでかぎをなくしたか、全然ぜんぜん思おもい出だせない。

doko de kagi o nakushita ka, zenzen omoidasenai.

I can't remember at all where I lost my keys. casual

どの案あんを採用さいようするかは、来週らいしゅうの理事会りじかいで決定けっていいたします。

dono an o saiyou suru ka wa, raishuu no rijikai de kettei itashimasu.

Which proposal to adopt will be decided at next week's board meeting. formal

Formation

question word … + か + main verbattaches to plain clause
{V}かattaches to dictionary form

Notes

だ drops before embedded か: 誰[だれ]が担当[たんとう]か聞[き]いてください, だ drops in careful speech (誰が担当か); colloquial speech often keeps だか (何だか、誰だか). The whole か-clause can take particles (行くかは、行くかを) or none at all.

Related patterns

Similar

かどうか
かどうか closes the embedded question to yes-or-no and tolerates no question word; embedded か requires one — 行くかどうか is "whether he'll go", どこに行くか "where he'll go", and ×どこに行くかどうか is out.