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Question word + 〜か

(who / what / where …) inside a sentence

Question word … plain form + か + 分かる / 知る / 教える

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A question can sit inside a longer sentence: 会議が何時に始まるか知っていますか, "do you know what time the meeting starts?" The inner question ends in plain form + か, then comes a verb like 知る, 分かる, 教える, 聞く or 覚える.

Nouns and question words take か directly, without だ: 駅はどこか教えてください, "please tell me where the station is".

Use this when the inner question has a question word (who, what, when, where, why, how). For a yes/no question, it's かどうか, the previous point.

In speech the か is sometimes dropped (何時に始まる知ってる?), but it's safer to keep it.

Examples

  • 会議かいぎが何時なんじに始はじまるか知しっていますか。

    Do you know what time the meeting starts?

  • 駅えきはどこか教おしえてください。

    Please tell me where the station is.

  • 誰だれが来くるか分わかりません。

    I don't know who's coming.

  • 何なにを買かったか覚おぼえていません。

    I don't remember what I bought.

  • どうして遅おくれたか説明せつめいしてください。

    Please explain why you were late.

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