の
Casual Question / Explanation
no
TypeFinal
JLPT Leveln4
Summary
Used at the end of sentences for casual questions (rising tone) or explanatory statements (falling tone).
Usage Rules
- •Casual question (rising): 行くの？ = Are you going?
- •Explanatory (falling): 行くのだ/んだ = It is that〜
- •Common in female speech for questions
- •Explanation: 〜のだ/んだ adds explanatory nuance
- •Casual: の is more natural than か in casual speech
- •んだ is the contracted form of のだ
Example Sentences
どこに行くの？
Where are you going? (casual question).
今べんきょうしてるの。
I'm studying now (explanation).
どうしたの？
What happened?
しらなかったんだ。
I didn't know (explanation).
そうなんだ。
I see (is that so?).
Common Mistake
Using の (question) in polite speech — use ますか or ですか instead with polite forms.