Components

Grammar detail: かどうか

かどうか  whether or not
215 words
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plain form clause A
+
かどうか
+
clause B
means
(clause B) whether or not (clause A)
かどうか functions in a very similar way to the English phrase 'whether or not', with the key difference that in English, clause A / B would be reversed.
あした
明日
あめ
かどうかわからない
I do not know if it will rain tomorrow.
あした
明日
あめ
かどうか
かります

Can you tell if it will rain tomorrow?
Clause A is usually a description of a situation - 'rain tomorrow', or 'the bathroom is in use'. Clause B can be a statement of knowledge or intent ('I don't know' or 'I would like') etc.
あたら
しい
かどうか
おし
えてください

Please tell me whether it is new.
みたい
かどうかわからない
I don't know whether or not I want to read it.
A simple way to construct sentences using かどうか is to start with a question (converting the final verb into the plain form if there is one and it's in the polite form), add どうか after the question marker か, and then add clause B. For example, let's start with the following simple question:
ルーシー
にほんご
日本語
はな
ことができます
Can Lucy speak Japanese?
This sentence uses the polite form, so first we turn the polite form verb ことができます into the plain form, ことができる. Then we add どうか to the question marker か so that we have our key phrase かどうか, and the meaning '... whether or not Lucy can speak Japanese'. Now we can add 'clause B', which can be anything we wish to convey - in this case
っていますか ('do you know ~'):
あなたルーシー
にほんご
日本語
はな
ことができるかどうか
っています

Do you know whether or not Lucy can speak Japanese?
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Kanji used in this grammar

チ   し to know   
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メイ   ミョウ   あかり light   あかるい bright   あかるむ to brighten   あからむ to become luminous (at dawn)   あきらか obvious   あかす to lay bare   あ to open   あける to empty   
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ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
ウ   あめ    あま- rain   
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コウ   おりる to get off   おろす to drop off   ふ to fall (eg rain)   
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ブン   ブ   フン   わける to divide, to distinguish   わかる to understand   わかれる to be divided   わかつ to share, distribute   
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シン   あたらしい    あら    にい- new   
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キョウ   おしえる to teach   おそわる to be taught   
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ドク   トク   トウ   よ to read   
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ホン   book   もと origin   
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ゴ   かた to talk, relate   かたらう to talk together, chat   
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ワ   はな to talk   はなし talking   
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