Basic enders

Stage 1Sentence endings & intentChunk 4 of 26 · items 14–18 of 484

The plain copula, the three core sentence-final particles (ka, ne, yo) and their most common combination, yo ne. They share one base sentence so that only the ending changes.

Mix-ups

yo and ne get mixed up. yo tells the listener something they don't know, ne treats it as shared, and yo ne checks that it's shared. In a casual question ka sounds blunt or rough, so drop it and use a rising tone.

da

polite desudrama rank #12

is (plain copula)

だPlay ですPlay

Plain 'is' after nouns and na-adjectives. A bare final da is mostly self-talk or a sudden realisation and can sound blunt, so to tell someone, drop it (ashita yasumi) or add yo or ne (ashita yasumi da yo). It stays before ne, yo and kedo. Polite speech has no self-talk, so the polite pair is a plain statement.

casualPlay

a, ashita yasumi da

Oh right, I'm off tomorrow!

あ、明日休みだ

politePlay

ashita wa yasumi desu

I'm off tomorrow.

明日は休みです

It becomes na before n da and no (yasumi na n da) and never follows an i-adjective (takai, not *takai da). Dropping da before yo or ne (yasumi yo, kirei ne) is common but feminine-leaning; da yo / da ne is the neutral form.

Learn alongside: ka, ne, yo, yo ne, yo na (Stage 4)

ka

polite desu ka / -masu kadrama rank #11

question marker

かPlay ですか／〜ますかPlay

Turns a polite sentence into a question when said with a rising tone. Said falling, polite desu ka is a realisation instead (sou desu ka = I see). Casual questions drop ka and rise, so bare casual ka is mostly heard in musing realisations (sokka, ashita yasumi ka).

casualPlay

a, ashita yasumi ka

Oh, tomorrow's a day off, huh.

あ、明日休みか

politePlay

a, ashita wa yasumi desu ka

Oh, tomorrow's a day off, I see.

あ、明日は休みですか

For a casual question, drop ka and raise the pitch: ashita yasumi? The real polite question is ashita wa yasumi desu ka? with a rising tone. A casual rising ...ka? (daijoubu ka?) sounds rough and masculine. Neutral casual ka appears in musing (sokka), in jaa iku ka (let's get going, then) and inside sentences (nani ga ii ka wakaranai = I don't know what would be good).

Learn alongside: da, ne, yo, yo ne, yo na (Stage 4)

ne

polite desu ne / -masu nedrama rank #13

right? / isn't it

ねPlay ですね／〜ますねPlay

Invites the listener to share or agree with what you say. It softens statements, comments on things you both see, and confirms details.

casualPlay

ashita yasumi da ne

So we're off tomorrow, huh.

明日休みだね

politePlay

ashita wa yasumi desu ne

So tomorrow's a day off, then.

明日は休みですね

A drawn-out nee at the start of a sentence means hey. Mid-sentence ne (ano ne, kinou ne...) just holds the listener's attention. Don't add ne to facts only you know, such as your name or your plans; yo or nothing fits there.

Learn alongside: da, ka, yo, yo ne, yo na (Stage 4)

yo

polite desu yo / -masu yodrama rank #6

you know (new info for you)

よPlay ですよ／〜ますよPlay

Marks something the listener doesn't know or needs reminding of, such as news, warnings, corrections or recommendations. Without it, a statement can sound flat.

casualPlay

ashita yasumi da yo

Tomorrow's a day off, you know.

明日休みだよ

politePlay

ashita wa yasumi desu yo

Tomorrow's a day off, you know.

明日は休みですよ

When correcting a superior, yo can sound like lecturing.

Learn alongside: da, ka, ne, yo ne, yo na (Stage 4)

yo ne

polite desu yo nedrama rank #107

right? (we both know)

よねPlay ですよねPlay

Checks that the listener shares something you believe, either to confirm it or to agree emphatically (sou da yo ne).

casualPlay

ashita yasumi da yo ne?

Tomorrow's a day off, right?

明日休みだよね？

politePlay

ashita wa yasumi desu yo ne?

Tomorrow's a day off, right?

明日は休みですよね？

The order is fixed: always yo ne, never *ne yo.

Learn alongside: da, ka, ne, yo, yo na (Stage 4)Learn first: yo, ne