⏱️ 2 minute japanese : what is -kai?
do you know what the sentence ending particle -kai means?
not -ka, but -kai.
you may have heard it in anime when someone is asking a question. -kai is used in tameguchi (informal speech) at the end of yes or no questions.
example:
食べるかい?
taberu kai
are you going to eat? (yes or no)
source: jlpt n4 grammar (this is not my favorite resource since they don’t give much context, but i couldn’t find a better source online)
what does -kai ✨feel✨ like when you hear it?
-kai seems to be used more in the hokkaido region, but in other regions such as tokyo or kansai it may not leave the best impression.
the types of “personas” you might imagine when a person uses -kai include:
spoken by an elderly grandpa or grandma
old fashioned speech style
speaking to a child, an animal , or to someone in poverty (i.e. speaking down to someone with a large status gap)
it doesn’t sound the most elegant or refined either. i would recommend avoiding using it or to use with caution.
source: discussion forum of japanese people discussing what -kai feels like to them, second discussion thread
anime examples of -kai
-kai is more frequently used in anime to give characters more “flavor” of their personalities and relationships. some examples of characters that speak with -kai:
meimei from jujutsu kaisen
meimei’s use of -kai with uiui is a prime example of why to avoid -kai. meimei’s use of it towards uiui hints that from the beginning meimei sees uiui as a tool or subordinate.
example 1: in meimei’s fight with special grade disease curse during shibuya
憂憂、無事かい?
uiui, buji kai?
uiui, are you okay?
source: crunchyroll episode 38, 1:27
example 2: same fight (addressing uiui)
私のために死んでくれるかい?
watashi no tameni shinde kureru kai?
would you die for me?
source: youtube 1:30
example 3: uhh—this infamous scene
はしたない私は嫌いかい?
hashitanai watashi wa kirai kai?
do you hate me when i’m improper?
source: youtube 0:12
maomao’s grandma from apothecary diaries
because this takes place in imperial china, this use of -kai feels less inappropriate and more just how a crass granny like maomao’s would speak.
examples: jinshi just bought back maomao and she’s preparing to leave verdigris house. grandma has some last requests for maomao.
出来てるかい?
deki teru kai?
is it ready?
見てもらいたいのがいるんだ。頼めるかい?
mite moraitai no ga iru nda. tanomeru kai?
i need you to take a look at someone. can you come with me?
note: 頼めるかい (tanomeru kai) literally translates to “can i make this request of you?” or “can I count on you?”.
source: crunchy roll episode 12, 16:00
kazuma sohma from fruits basket
i don’t remember the exact episode or scene, but you’ll also hear kazuma sohma from fruits basket use -kai when talking with kyo and tohru. The speech style of using -kai might give the feeling that while kazuma has a young face, his personality is a bit more old.
🎎 culture : introducing yourself
often in japan when introducing yourself, you also state your age.
this is because in japanese you generally want to be using polite speech / honorifics when speaking to those older than you. (i made a tiktok explaining japanese politeness speech levels)
example of how you might introduce yourself if you were a jujutsu sorcerer:
僕は五条悟です。28歳で呪術師でやってます。
boku wa gojou satoru desu. nijuu hassai de jujutsu shi de yattemasu.
i (male)’m Satoru Gojo. i’m 28 years old and i’m a jujutsu sorcerer.
*gojo speaks very casually and generally without honorifics in the anime. it’s a little hard for me to imagine him saying this so politely, haha.
generally even if you’re speaking to those close in age with you, you would still introduce yourself using polite speech / honorifics out of politeness since you’re just meeting someone.
if your textbook ever taught you どうぞよろしく , people don’t really say this in real life. you can just say よろしくお願いします is perfectly fine.
source: [youtube] yuta the japanese man - how to introduce yourself in japanese like native speakers
📚 resources i’m enjoying
for all japanese learners:
[youtube] japanese guy tries duolingo japanese : this is super interesting (and hilarious) if you’ve ever used duolingo to learn japanese. my top takeaway was duolingo’s japanese sentences aren’t always natural japanese so to proceed with caution.
for intermediate or advanced learners:
🥰💞❤️🔥💖 thank you for reading, bestie!!
feedback is always welcomed! smash that reply button and tell me what you’d love to see more of! :)
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